His Heartbeat
by lechymonk
Summary: Jushiro Ukitake, Captain of squad 13, has always been too busy trying to stay alive and never really lived life. A chance meeting with a human woman would change his world forever. Ukitake X OC No Yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach or any of the characters. That honor belongs to Kubo Tite. The original characters are my own creations.

Jushiro Ukitake hated dealing with drunks. Two of the worst ones were in his own squad. Yes, they were loyal and good shinigami…when they were sober. Jushiro sighed and waited for the second hell butterfly. The hell butterflies were used to ease transportation between Soul Society and the living world. A black butterfly finally showed up and began it's flight to the double doors that lead into the world of the living. The first pair of doors slid open and before they were open all the way, the second set slid open. Jushiro steeled himself for what was to come. When he dragged Renji Abarai's drunk, stupid self back to Rukia Kuchiki, he would be glad never to step into the world of the living ever again.

That was before he met her.

Hinako and Renji were sitting in the grass in a park several blocks from her apartment. They had already polished off a few bottles of sake and were working on the next one. Hinako was drunk, but not "fall down and don't get up again until morning" drunk. Silly drunk, really. Everything Renji said was hilarious to her and her sides hurt from laughing. He was currently telling her a story about Ganju Shiba. Normally, the story wouldn't have been funny, but to two drunk people, it was hysterical.

"And then, that huge pig of his, Bonnie" Renji started to laugh so hard, he couldn't finish the story. He waved his hands at Hinako, making a strange gesture and Hinako fell over, clutching her side.

"Ow, stop it, Renji! I can't catch my breath!" Hinako took great, gasping breaths while she tried to talk. Her long ash blonde hair covered her face. When she fell over laughing, her head fell into a pile of autumn leaves. Red, gold, brown and even a few dark purples leaves, clung to her hair.

She had met Renji though Ichigo Kurosaki. Hinako lived a few doors away from the medical clinic that the Kurosaki's ran. She had seen Rukia before anyone else had. Hinako was shocked to see a young girl in a black kimono with a sword, climb or rather float, into Ichigo's window in the middle of the night. Hinako wasn't drinking that night, so it wasn't that she was having hallucinations. A few days later, Ichigo introduced Rukia as a friend of his and Hinako never told anyone that she had seen the dark haired girl before.

After summer vacation, Hinako had seen Ichigo with a large red haired man with strange tattoos on his face and chest. He was wearing the same kind of black kimono that Rukia wore the first time Hinako had seen her. Hinako approached Ichigo and demanded to know if the redhead was related to him.

Ichigo stumbled around for an answer but when Hinako told him about how she saw Rukia before anyone else did, Ichigo told her a bit about Renji. Before Hinako knew it, she and Renji were fast friends. It was one night a few weeks ago, that Renji got really drunk and told her about Soul Society.

At first, Hinako was shocked but she had always thought something would happen after you died. She was really shocked when Renji explained how the Rukongai districts worked and his and Rukia's history together. She watched his face every time he mentioned Rukia and pretty soon, Hinako realized that Renji was in love with the tiny woman. That was fine by her. She wasn't looking for love. Hinako was happy with her life just the way it was.

She wasn't a teenager or even in her twenties. She was 39, with, as her mother loved to cry about, not a prospective man in sight. And Hinako liked it that way. She had a great job, a lot of close friends, a sister she adored and was happy with her life.

Jushiro heard Renji well before he saw him. Renji was sitting under a tree, a bottle of sake in front of him and there were two sake bowls near the bottle. Jushiro narrowed his eyes at the sight of the bowls. He wasn't informed that Renji was here with another shinigami. Rukia told him Renji came to the living world alone. Jushiro sighed. Now, he would have to deal with two drunk shinigami's.

Coming closer to the pair, Jushiro was shocked to hear a laugh. A female laugh. He closed his eyes and stopped. He put his hand over his eyes. Rukia was going to be crushed. Everyone know the two shinigami were to be married and here was Renji, in the human world, with a woman. Rukia wouldn't be mad at Renji because Jushiro was going to kill him. She would be mad at him, however, but seeing as he was her captain, Jushiro was sure he could talk her out of killing him.

"Why didn't Rukia come with you?" Jushiro couldn't believe his ears. Not only was Renji cheating on Rukia, the woman knew Rukia! Didn't this woman have any shame? Jushiro walked into the park, his anger quickening his steps until they were almost flash steps. He normally never used flash steps, they tended to take too much out of him, but he wanted to confront this woman and get Renji the hell out of here.

"Renji Abarai." Jushiro's soft voice broke through the conversation between Hinako and Renji. "I have come to take you back."

Renji jumped up and immediately went into the bow reserved for Captains. "Captain Ukitake! W…what are you doing here?"

"Lieutenant Abarai, do not speak to me in front of this woman. She cannot see me or hear me and I would like to get you out of here as fast as possible."

"I can see you." Hinako looked up from her position on the ground. Standing in front of Renji was the most handsome man she'd ever seen. He was tall, with broad shoulders and long gray hair that came almost to his waist. Black eyebrows were above his odd copper colored eyes. A frown marred his face.

He ignored her. She waved at him. Jushiro glared at her. Hinako stuck her tongue out at him and giggled. Captain Ukitake's mouth opened in shock. Renji's bark of laughter jarred him out of his shock.

"She can see me?" Jushiro put his hand under Renji's arm and hauled him up. Renji swayed a bit, but kept his balance. "How is that possible? Is she a shinigami?'

Hinako was getting angry. There was nothing she hated more than someone talking like she wasn't there. And no matter how gorgeous this man was, she wasn't going to give him a pass on behavior like that. Pulling herself up less than gracefully from the ground, Hinako brushed her hair out of her face and marched up to the gray haired man. Multi-colored leaves still clung to her long hair.

Great. She only came up to his shoulder. Were all of the shinigami men so freaking tall? She tried to focus on his face, but her attention was drawn to his chest. He was really big! It was almost impossible to tell if he was all muscles or if he was fat underneath his clothes. Her head rolled into the direction of Renji. Once, she'd seen him shirtless and he was all muscle. Those tattoos were weird, though, but Rukia seemed to like them.

Hinako's head rolled back to the large man in front of her. Renji called him Captain Ukitake. Well, even though they had not been properly introduced, she was going to give her a piece of her mind anyway. She opened her mouth and was just about to give the speech of her life, when he spoke.

"How can you see me?" His voice wasn't really deep but it was soft. And sensual. Hinako frowned. Why would she notice or care how sensual his voice was. "Ma'am, I am waiting for an answer to my question." Jushiro folded his arms over his chest.

Ma'am? He called her Ma'am? Hinako glared at him. Jushiro glared back. Before she could yell at him for calling her Ma'am, a large hand covered her mouth.

"Captain Ukitake, please forgive Hinako. She can see you because she has slight powers that let her see things like Hollows and shinigami. She can't see anything else or use any powers to fight." Renji saw how upset Captain Ukitake was getting and he was sobering up fast. Now, he wanted nothing more to get back to Soul Society, crawl into bed with Rukia and make love to her until morning. "I know I have no right to ask, but since your mission was obviously to take me back and I am ready, will you make sure Hinako gets home safely?"

Jushiro opened his mouth to say no but the word, yes, came out instead. He looked just as surprised at the woman. Renji removed his hand from Hinako's mouth, stepped back and bowed to Jushiro. Without another glance, Renji took off at a run to the doors to Soul Society. Jushiro watched him run, mentally patting himself on the back for bringing two hell butterflies. He prided himself on his planning, both on and off the battlefield.

Hinako watched the back of Renji get smaller and smaller. That rat ditched her and now she was stuck with a babysitter to make sure she go home alright. The next time Renji came into the living world to drink with her, he was going to have to sit through a very long lecture on manners!

Jushiro watched in amusement as Hinako's face fell as she watched Renji run back through the doors to Soul Society. Her face was like an open book, so easy to read. Hinako started walking in the direction that Jushiro figured her apartment was in. He had no idea how much sake she'd consumed but she wasn't as wobbly as she'd been before…almost.

Hinako was fascinated with watching her shoes as she walked. They looked so pretty in the light. She was so fascinated that she didn't see the large pole with the huge street lamp on top. She bounced right off of the metal pole and into a very large, very solid body. Jushiro's arms came around her to steady her. The scent of cherries and wood smoke carried on the slight breeze. The ends of his long gray hair tickled her cheeks.

But, it was one sound, more than anything else, that stood out in her mind. His heartbeat. She could hear it softly in the quiet night and Hinako turned her body around in his arms to lay her cheek on his chest. It was strong and steady and Hinako realized that she really liked that sound. It was comforting, somehow.

Jushiro felt like he couldn't breathe. He had just watched this woman had run into a pole and now she was snuggled up against his chest, a smile on her face. The urge to hold her in his arms was creeping up on him. He watched as her hand made its way to the opening of his shinigami robes and skin touched skin. Her touch was like a match and his body burned where she had touched him.

For too many years, Jushiro pushed his carnal desires down until they almost didn't exist anymore. He had been too busy trying to stay alive and never lived life. He had convinced himself that he was too sick to find a wife, instead of looking for love and letting the chips fall where they may. He thought back on all of the missed opportunities in his life. Shunsui was always telling him that a life lived in fear, is a life half lived. Maybe his best friend was right.

Hinako put her arms under the white robe with Jushiro's captain insignia on it. She knew that if she was more sober, she would never be doing this. His heartbeat was drawing her in and she wanted nothing more than to stand here all night, listening to his heartbeat, breathing in his scent. Hinako smiled more as she felt his arms embrace her and his hands in her hair.

"You still have leaves in your hair." Jushiro spoke in a whisper. If he spoke too loud, the magic of this moment would be dissolved into nothingness. His strong fingers threaded through Hinako's long, ash blonde tresses, picking out leaves and undoing knots. Her hands were splayed over his broad shoulders, pulling him closer.

Giving up and giving in to pure pleasure for the first time he could remember, Jushiro tilted back Hinako's face and kissed her. There was no jolt from the sky, no electric feelings running between the two of them, no raging passion. Just a feeling of…rightness. A soft and gentle kiss between two people; two lonely people, one who would admit it and one who would deny it until the day she died.

They broke apart, gazing into each others eyes. Hinako's hand reached out to feel Jushiro's heartbeat once more. Strong and not-so-steady because of the kiss. His breathing was heavier, as was hers. She turned away, grabbing his hand and leading him to her apartment.

They walked in silence until they reached her apartment. Hinako's hands fisted in his black shinigami robes and she pulled him down for a searing kiss. Pushing him away, Hinako broke the kiss.

"Well, Mr. Captain of some squad. Thanks for walking me home. When I wake up from this dream, you face will be the first thing I'll think of." Hinako fished a key out of her pocket and unlocked the door. Jushiro could hear her mumbling about how someone named Satomi was never gonna believe this dream.

So, she thought she was dreaming. Jushiro smiled as he watched Hinako open her door and close it behind her, never giving him a second thought. She thought he was part of a dream. He wondered what she would do if she ever saw him again. Maybe there was a reason to come back to this world, after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of the characters. That honor belongs to Kubo Tite. I do own my original characters, Hinako and Satomi.

Hinako woke up with a raging hangover. The sun was streaming in through the open drapes that she had forgotten to close last night. Little men with hammers were banging away at her brain and Hinako thought about trying to go back to sleep and ignoring them. They were persistent, so Hinako gave up and went and got some headache pills. Every movement was painful, jarring her pounding, aching head. She made it to her kitchen and went to the cabinet, searching for the pills. She found the bottle, shook out a few pills and washed them down with orange juice straight from the carton. She hoped that Satomi wasn't up yet. If her little sister caught her drinking from the carton, Hinako would have to listen to a lecture about how disgusting that habit was.

"Morning!" A horribly bright, chipper voice broke the silence in the kitchen. Hinako spun around to look for the source of the voice and immediately wished she hadn't. The little men in her brain pounded even harder. Hinako grabbed her head and shut her eyes to stop the room from spinning.

"Who the hell is here?" Hinako asked through gritted teeth. She didn't hear anyone come in, so it must be a shinigami. The question now, was who. The voice was female, so Hinako guessed it was Rukia.

"You sound like Renji this morning. He was cranky, too."

Right in one. It was Rukia and by the sound of her voice, she found Hinako's predicament pretty funny. The only thing that kept her from yelling at Rukia and throwing her out of the house was she wanted to hear how bad Renji was. She hoped the stinking rat was suffering more than she was.

"I heard you met my captain last night." Rukia glided down from her perch on top of the kitchen counter top. She began to root through the cupboards for Hinako's favorite cereal. Finding it, Rukia poured some in a bowl, added milk and a spoon and placed the bowl down on the table. Hinako gave a little smile of thanks and sat down to eat.

Wait…Rukia's captain? What the hell was she talking about? The last thing Hinako remembered was the sight of Renji running like the devil was on his tail back to the Soul Society double doors. Hinako spooned more cereal in her mouth.

"What are you talking about?" Rukia was barely able to make out what Hinako was saying. A mouthful of Cheerios could do that. Rukia watched Hinako, trying to see if she was kidding her or not. Seeing as how Hinako was barely awake and not a morning person, Rukia decided that her friend wasn't joking and really didn't remember meeting Jurisho Ukitake last night.

"My captain, Jurisho Ukitake. You met him last night when he came to bring Renji back home." Rukia went on, seeing the look of confusion on Hinako's face. "Big guy, long white hair, copper colored eyes…wears shinigami robes with a white haori with his squad number on the back?" Hinako shook her head no.

Something in the back of her brain tickled her. A vision of running into a light pole and bouncing into a very large man, came to Hinako. Hinako searched her memory of last night for anything else but that was all she could remember. Hinako finished her cereal and pushed the empty bowl away from her. She toyed with the spoon, wincing as the bright light bounced off it's silver surface. She tossed the spoon in the bowl.

"Are you able to see into my dreams?" Rukia shook her head no, smiling as she realized what happened last night. Hinako must have thought her time with Captain Ukitake was a dream. Rukia crossed her arms, sat down across from her friend and waited to hear the end of this. She was glad Renji wasn't here. He would never let Hinako live down what happened last night.

"Are you sure?" Hinako paused while Rukia nodded. "I had the weirdest dream. I swear, that sake that Renji brings has more kick than the stuff we have here." Hinako rubbed the sleep from her eyes and continued. "Well, I dreamt about this guy you described but I sure as hell didn't meet him."

Hinako's eyes widened as a thought came to her. Was Renji so drunk last night that he actually used a Kido spell on her by accident? She asked Rukia that question and had to wait for Rukia to stop laughing.

"Renji is terrible at Kido! If he would have used Kido on you, you probably would have been blown to bits." Rukia wiped the tears from her eyes. That was the funniest thing she'd heard in ages. "And besides, there is no Kido that causes you to hallucinate or makes you dream."

So, he wasn't a dream. He was real and she'd hugged him and listened to his heartbeat. Realizing that she'd also kissed him…twice, Hinako let out a groan. And she made a fool out of herself, walking into a light pole and bouncing off of it. He must think she was the most stupid woman in the living world. Oh, well. What did she care? It wasn't like she would be seeing him again.

Leaving Rukia in the kitchen, Hinako went into the bedroom to get clothes and then headed to the bathroom. Their apartment was small, only one bedroom, so it had been Satomi's turn to sleep on the couch last night and she was still asleep. Hinako looked fondly at her sleeping sister. Satomi was a lot younger than Hinako but she was the more mature of the two. She would never get drunk with a shinigami and then kiss Rukia's captain…twice.

After getting showered and dressed, Hinako felt a little more human. Running a comb through her hair, Hinako decided to let it air dry. Her head was still pounding a little and she didn't think she was up to styling her hair this morning. Or really, this afternoon. Looking at the clock and seeing it was after 1pm, Hinako made the decision never to drink with Renji again. And she would keep the promise…this time…maybe…unless he brought some of that excellent sake like they'd shared last night.

Oh, who was she kidding? She enjoyed kicking back and tying one on with Renji every now and then. And Rukia didn't mind, so there was no problem there. The headaches, on the other hand, now, that was a problem. Hinako threw the comb on the ledge of the sink and went back into the kitchen.

Satomi was up. Hinako could hear two distinct female voices, talking quietly in the kitchen. She ruffled Satomi's hair as she passed by her. Smiling up at her big sister, Satomi spooned another bite of cereal in her mouth. Hinako rummaged around in the fridge for the raspberry tea she loved so much and finally found a bottle near the back. After digging it out, Hinako went to the table and sat down. Her hopes for a nice long conversation were dashed by the sound of her front door crashing open.

"Oi, Hinako!" Renji's voice rang throughout the small apartment. Damn it! Hinako was still hoping that the rat was hungover and wouldn't be showing up at all today. She turned in her chair, ready to give him a piece of her mind when Rukia jumped out of her chair and kneeled on the floor.

He was here.

Hinako's heart stupidly skipped a beat. Her face flushed as she watched him walk through the doorway to the kitchen. Hinako wanted to tear her eyes away from him, but no matter how hard she tried, his copper colored eyes drew her in. He was staring back at her.

If Jushiro thought Hinako couldn't be prettier than she was in the soft light of the street lamps, he was proved wrong in the light of day. Long ash colored hair hung over her shoulders, framing a face who's odd blue eyes were gazing into his. He could see that they had chips of yellowish gold in them and got lighter in color the closer they got to the irises. Her face was colored with a pretty blush and she was worrying her bottom lip.

Devastatingly handsome in the moonlight, Hinako would have sworn up and down that there was no way this man could be any more handsome. She was wrong. His hair, that she had perceived was gray in the moonlight, was really a bright white. And it looked so soft and she wanted nothing more to run her fingers through it. He was pale, almost unnaturally so but that didn't detract from his looks.

But, there was something more about him, something that she couldn't hear or touch from where she was sitting. Hinako wanted to feel and hear his heartbeat, again. Finally, she'd remembered meeting him last night, and it brought an urge to get up and press her ear to his chest, to listen to that steady, soul stirring beat.

"Oi! Hinako! Didn't you hear me talking to you?" Renji brought down his fist, none too gently on the top of Hinako's head. Reaching up but hitting nothing but air, Hinako broke her eye contact with the handsome Captain.

"Stupid! Of course, I heard you! And you are so damn loud, I'd be willing to bet the neighbors heard you, too. Even if you are in your shinigami form." Hinako rubbed the top of her head.

"Captain Ukitake." Rukia was still in a kneeling position on the kitchen floor. "What brings us the honor of your visit?"

Jushiro looked at Renji, a silent exchange between the two men. Renji had found out some information on a Hollow that was stalking Hinako's sister and he talked Ukitake into coming into the world of the living to help deliver the information. Actually, Renji didn't have to do much talking. Once Jushiro heard where Renji was going, he'd practically forced Renji to take him. Renji moved to Rukia and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Her eyes grew wide and Renji grabbed her arm and pulled her into the living room.

Hinako didn't notice them leave the room. She was to intent on the little black butterfly that was flitting around Jushiro's shoulders. Hinako watched it intently. She had never seen a butterfly up close, let alone a black one. Standing up and moving behind Jushiro, she first tried to coax the butterfly on her finger. Satomi watched her, shaking her head. Jushiro was facing away from the two sisters, so he didn't see the exchange between the two but he could hear their conversation. As he listened, a broad smile crossed his face.

"What do you think you're doing, Hinako?" Satomi gave Hinako an exasperated look. This was just like Hinako. She loved animals and wanted to either bring home every stray she saw or feed every stray cat in the neighborhood. "Don't touch it!"

"Why not?" Hinako was wiggling her fingers at the butterfly, hoping it would come close enough to her so she could reach out and capture it in her hands.

"Do you know anything about it, its powers or why it's even here?" Hinako shook her head no, never taking her eyes off of the butterfly. "Exactly!" Satomi hissed at her sister. "All the more reason for you not to touch it."

Throughout most of their adult lives, Satomi had always been the more level headed one. Satomi was going through college, getting her second degree, while Hinako dropped out and never went back. She had managed to get a good job, though, in spite of having almost no training. Satomi had moved in with Hinako as soon as things got too much for her at home. Welcoming in her sister with open arms, Hinako would never admit to anyone that she had been lonely and was thrilled to have another person around. Although, right now, Hinako wished her sister wasn't here. She just had to see this butterfly up close.

Hinako was getting closer to Jushiro. He could smell her shampoo and he took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he let her scent wrap around him. Her body brushed against the back of his haori and her fingers brushed his broad shoulders. It was almost as if she'd forgotten he was even here. She was concentrating that intensely on capturing the butterfly.

"It's just a butterfly, Satomi! What harm can it do? Is it going to grow fangs and bite my neck?" Hinako asked sarcastically.

Satomi glared at her sister "Might knock some sense into you if it did." She muttered under her breath. When Hinako got an idea in her head this firmly, nothing short of doing it or at least seriously attempting it would change her mind. "This might actually be fun..." Satomi mused to herself as she watched her sister trying once more to coax the fluttering butterfly onto her finger.

She thought back to another time Hinako had tried to do something, against her advice. They had been out hiking in the woods on a cool autumn day, enjoying the beautiful colors of the changing leaves. Hinako wanted to go just a little further, across the stream that was nearby. Satomi told her older sister they shouldn't, since the only way to cross was an old fallen tree that was slick with moss. Hinako insisted and proceeded to cross. Everything was fine till she got half way. Her foot slipped and she went into the icy stream. She had gotten soaked to the bone and complained all the way back of how cold she was. Satomi had fought so hard not to laugh. She loved her sister, despite her silliness. And now was no different as she watched her sister track the black butterfly.

The butterfly moved around to the front of Jushiro and Hinako moved with it. "Damn! I almost got it. It's a slippery little thing. Come here, sis. Help me trap it."

It was near his chest and Hinako made her move. She reached out her hand and instead of making contact with the butterfly, her hand landed on Jushiro's chest. Her body froze as she realized what she had done. Maybe he wouldn't notice where her hand was. Right, Hinako thought to herself. He is a Captain in the Gotei 13. She was pretty sure he would notice a woman's hand on his chest.

"You missed." His voice was just as she remembered it. Soft and sensual.

A blush crept up her neck, heating Hinako's face. This was so like her, not thinking before she acted. She moved her hand away from his chest, slowly. She had felt his heartbeat again. Hinako had no idea why the feel or sound of his heartbeat drew her to him. She was embarrassed at what she'd done, but she hadn't wanted to move her hand away from that strong, steady beat.

"Put your hands together." His voice broke the silence of the kitchen. Satomi sat in a chair, forgotten. Hinako brought her hands together, palms up. She still couldn't make eye contact with Jushiro. Briefly, she wondered what he was doing, when she felt his hands brush hers.

Jushiro had captured the Hell butterfly, cupping the delicate creature between his long, slender fingers. Hinako could hear a soft wisping sound from between his hands. He opened his hands and the Hell butterfly landed in her open palms. It was pure black, with purple stripes on the bottom of its lower wings. The delicate wings tickled her palms and she smiled at the feel.

Jushiro moved his hands to cup hers. They were warm and calloused at the fingertips. His touch was doing strange things to her body. Shivers of pleasure raced across her skin and up her spine. She wasn't sure if he knew he was stroking the back of her hands, but she didn't want him to stop.

"What do they do?" Hinako whispered, as if talking too loud would break the spell that had woven itself around the two of them. The creature was walking back and forth across her palm. Jushiro had moved his hands from underneath her own and now was stroking her forearms. She prayed he wouldn't stop.

"They are the messengers of Soul Society. We use them for important announcements or to send messages to each other. Much quicker than walking all over the Seireitei looking for someone. They are also used for unlocking the gate between Soul Society and the living world."

His voice had almost dropped to a whisper, forcing Hinako to move closer to him to hear him. Their foreheads touched and she could smell his unique scent, cherries and wood smoke. His long, white hair tumbled over his shoulder, trapping them in a world of their own. He nudged her forehead with his, causing her to look up into his eyes. His hands wrapped around her elbows and he pulled her closer to him, her hands touching his chest.

His eyes, those copper colored eyes. She could drown in their depths. How could she feel something so strong for this man in just a few hours? Hinako never believed in love at first sight, but with Jushiro, it was different. When she crashed into the light pole last night and bounced into his chest, time seemed to stop once she heard his heartbeat. Was that love at first sight?

No, she couldn't call it love. But, Hinako had feelings for this man. What they were, she didn't know. If anyone asked her how she felt about Jushiro, she knew she wouldn't be able to answer them. All she knew, was she wanted to be with this man. To feel his touch, to breathe in his scent, and most of all, lay her head on his chest and let his heartbeat soothe her.

Jushiro had never felt this way about a woman before. By not living his life to the fullest, he had become a lonely man. When his lieutenant's wife had been possessed and killed by a Hollow, he had almost been jealous of the fierceness of Kaien's love for his fallen wife. Kaien had put his own life on the line to avenge his precious wife. Jushiro had no one in his life that was precious to him, like Kaien's wife had been to him.

He needed to understand how he felt about Hinako. His emotions were all jumbled up inside of him, threatening to burst to the surface. He didn't believe in love at first sight, but there was something that drew him to this woman. Maybe, he was confusing the job of protecting this woman, with the feeling of love. But, he couldn't convince himself that it was the true reason. When he'd kissed her, the feeling of coming home was overwhelming.

Her eyes, those strange blue eyes with yellowish gold chips in them. They changed with her moods and he could see the confusion in them. He wondered if she was as confused about her feeling for him as he was with her.

Letting go of the butterfly, Hinako placed her palms on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat quicken from her touch. Without a conscious thought, Hinako shuffled her feet until her body was almost pressed against his. His hands left her elbows and moved slowly up, until he was grabbing her shoulders. She licked her bottom lip and sucked it into her mouth, worrying it with her teeth.

Jushiro's breath hitched at Hinako's unconscious nervous gesture. His mind was screaming at him to taste her lips, to see if the feeling from last night was real or imagined. His head swooped down and his mouth claimed hers.

The kisses that they shared last night were nothing compared to this. Their first kiss last night was just a taste, a simple, gentle kiss. Their second kiss was a quick, passionate one. This kiss, however, was heaven.

Renji went back to the kitchen to get Hinako. He and Rukia had decided that they would talk to Hinako first, explain about the Hollow that was stalking her sister and tell her about the plan to catch it and dispose of it. Rukia followed closely behind Renji and bumped into his back when he stopped suddenly. She grabbed onto his shinigami robes to stop herself from falling.

"What the.." Renji halfway turned around and put his finger to his lips, silencing her. She peeked from around his back, stunned into silence. There, in the middle of the kitchen, was her Captain, holding Hinako off the ground, in a passionate embrace. Rukia looked at Satomi. She was smiling at the couple.

Renji leaned down to whisper in Rukia's ear. "I guess I won't have to convince him to help us, after all."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach or any of the characters in the manga or anime. That honor belongs to Tite Kubo. Hinako and Satomi are my own creations.

Renji and Rukia waited for the right moment to interrupt her Captain. He was currently holding Hinako in a passionate embrace and didn't seem to want to stop anytime soon. Renji cleared his throat. Nothing. The couple in the kitchen were too caught up with each other to notice anyone else in the room.

Hinako was drowning in a sea of passion. What had started as Jushiro's mouth claiming hers, became so much more. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she moved her lips softly over Jushiro's. When he slipped his tongue past her lips to mate with her tongue, she knew she would be willing to stay like this forever. His arms had tightened around her back and she felt her feet leave the ground. The kiss was all consuming.

The feeling of coming home once again washed over Jushiro. It wasn't Hinako's looks or anything superficial like that, that drew him to her. There was just something about her. He had wanted to find out if what he was feeling was real or imagined and he'd figured the best way was to kiss her. He'd soon realized that the feelings he had for Hinako were real and he didn't think he'd be able to let her go.

Renji cleared his throat again, only twice as loud. Finally, the couple broke apart. A huge grin broke out across Renji's face as he saw Hinako's expression. She looked stunned and thoroughly kissed. Rukia whacked him on the back of his head.

"Ow!" He rubbed his head. "What the hell was that for?" He spun around and glared down at Rukia.

"Don't you dare make any rude, nasty, or vulgar comments about this!" Rukia hissed at Renji. She grabbed the front of his shinigami robes, pulling him down to her level. "A kiss like that is special to a woman!"

Sheesh! Did Rukia think he was that big of an oaf? By the look on her face, he guessed she did. Kissing the tip of her nose, making her blush, Renji winked at Rukia before turning back to speak.

"Oi, Hinako." He waited until he was sure he had her attention. He waited a while, seeing how she and Jushiro couldn't take their eyes off each other. Hinako's hands were on his chest again. Captain Ukitake mentioned to Renji this morning that Hinako seemed obsessed with listening to his heartbeat. Renji only shrugged his shoulders, saying that it must be something with Hinako. The other humans he'd met didn't obsess about things like that.

"Rukia and I need to talk to you." He turned and went back into the living room. Rukia waited in the doorway, smiling gently at Hinako. It would be nice if Jushiro and she fell in love but since Hinako was human and humans generally weren't welcome in the Seireitei, Rukia didn't hold out much hope for something like that.

Jushiro brushed Hinako's hair behind her ears. His touch was like magic, setting her body aflame with such a small gesture. She leaned into his hands, taking a deep breath of his scent. Never again would she smell cherries or wood smoke, without thinking of Jushiro.

Hearing Rukia's sigh, she gave Jushiro one last smile before leaving the kitchen. Rukia stood aside to let her pass through the doorway first and then followed her. Renji was sitting on one of the overstuffed chairs that Hinako and Satomi had found in a second hand store. Satomi had called it's huge rose patterned upholstery, "old"; Hinako called it "shabby chic." Sitting in the chair, Renji looked like he had fallen into a wild rose garden.

"I hate this chair." Hinako rolled her eyes. Renji told her this every time he came over and had to sit in this chair. "It's loud, the pattern's too busy and it's too squishy." He pointed a finger at Hinako. "And don't tell me the chair is just like me! I'm not squishy!" Puffing out his chest, he waggled his tattooed eyebrows at Rukia. "Right, babe?"

Hearing Hinako's bright laughter, Rukia knew she'd made the right decision to bring Renji along. His strength and humor would be needed when they broke the news about the Hollow to Hinako. Rukia sat on the wide couch, her feet dangling. Now, this couch…she hated it.

When Satomi moved in with Hinako, the sisters had gone on a search for a couch that would be comfortable enough to one of them to sleep on. Hinako's bedroom was tiny and there wasn't enough room in it to put a second bed. They found the couch at the same second hand store where they had found the garish flowered chair. It was twice as wide as a regular couch and longer, too. Rukia had to admit it was comfortable, but she felt like a little kid sitting in it. Her feet barely reached over the edge of the seat. She probably looked no more than five years old when she was sitting down on it. She tucked her feet under her and waited for Renji to finish his story he was telling Hinako.

Clutching her side and begging Renji to stop making her laugh so hard, Hinako wiped the tears of laughter from under her eyes. She turned to look at Rukia and she saw that the shinigami had a worried look on her face. She tried to hide it by smiling quickly, but Hinako knew that they didn't bring her into the living room just so Renji could tell her a funny story.

Rukia patted the seat next to her on the couch. Hinako sat down, looking at Rukia and Renji, anxiously. The mood in the room had shifted and tension filled the air. Hinako couldn't relax. Her back was as stiff as if someone had inserted a metal rod in her spine and her shoulders were tight. She tried to relax into the soft sofa, but every time she tried to sit back against the cushions, she popped back up again.

Renji and Rukia stared at each other, each one waiting for the other to start explaining. With a deep sigh, Rukia turned to Hinako. She wanted to break this news as gently as possible. It wasn't every day that a terrifying Hollow was stalking a loved one.

Rukia opened her mouth to break the news to Hinako and was shocked when something completely different popped out. "So, you and Captain Ukitake, huh?" Hinako blushed, Rukia blushed and Renji's bark of laughter echoed throughout the small apartment.

"Way to be subtle, babe!"

Rukia stumbled for something to say. "I don't know what made me say that!" She gave a half smile at Hinako. "I mean, I don't have anything against you and Captain Ukitake getting together. In fact, I've always thought he was a very lonely man and it was a shame that he couldn't find a wife." Rukia twisted her fingers together, a sure sign that she was nervous. "Sheesh! Here I am, jumping to conclusions. You two have a few kisses and I have you married to Captain Ukitake." She laughed, trailing off nervously.

"Well, I knew I loved you when I saw you wading in the river, holding that white flower." Renji looked over at Rukia, a soft smile on his face. "Remember, Rukia? When we were kids?"

She sighed and nodded at Renji. They had been just children, without families, only relying on each other. It was almost sunset on that day. Renji was determined to catch a fish when the beautiful white flowers had come floating by on that sunlit river. She had tucked her skirt up and went wading in, wanting to hold something so beautiful. She'd never noticed Renji or the way he'd looked at her. But, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

The fading sunlight made her look even more beautiful than she already was. The sparkles on the river were reflected in her huge eyes, making them shine more than usual. It was at that moment, Renji swore to make something of himself. To make himself into the kind of man that Rukia would be proud to know. To love.

Could Renji be right? Could it take something so small, like seeing Rukia wading into a sunlit river, white flowers all around her, to make a person fall in love? Or was it something else, like a sound? A sound of a person's heartbeat. Hinako was more confused than ever. There was no denying that she was affected by Jushiro's kisses. But, was what she felt for Jushiro just lust or was is something more?

"Listen, Hinako." Renji's voice broke through her jumbled thoughts. "We didn't need to talk to you alone so we could tell you how I fell in love with Rukia." He scratched the back of his head, thinking of the best way to break this news to her. Beating around the bush was just going to cause Hinako a lot of confusion and panic, so it was probably best to just come right out and say it.

"I got some information last night, before I returned to Soul Society. I'm not going to go into all the details on how I found out or how I verified the information; let's just say, it's a very reliable source." This was going to be harder than he'd thought. He looked at Rukia, his expression begging her to be the one to break this to her.

"We don't know why yet, but there's a Hollow after Satomi." Rukia held Hinako's hands in her tiny ones while she told her. Rukia's heart dropped to her stomach as she watched all the color drain from Hinako's face.

"W…why? Are you sure? Renji, tell me you're wrong. This is just another joke, right? Did I do something to make you mad and now you're getting back at me?" Hinako tore her hands from Rukia's and covered her face. "Not Satomi…not my only sister." Her voice was raw with unshed tears.

"Hinako, I would never do something like this to you, you know that." Roughly, Hinako nodded. " We don't know why it's after her, but one thing we do know. This isn't just some random Hollow after just any human. For some reason, it's been tracking Satomi for a few days now."

"Is that strange for a Hollow?" Hinako wiped her eyes. "Ichigo told me that Hollows usually attack random people, not anyone specific."

"They usually do, but for some reason, this Hollow is being very sneaky." Rukia pulled out her cellphone. She flipped it open and pulled up the menu. "We usually can track them easily but for some reason, this one shows up and disappears just as quickly." Rukia watched the small screen for a bit but she couldn't find the Hollow. She closed the phone with a snap and put it back in the hidden pocket in her robes.

The three of them sat in silence until a knock at the door startled them. It wasn't a loud knock and Hinako thought she knew who it might be. She uncurled her legs out from under her and went to the door. Peeping through the eye hole, it was who she'd guessed. Uryuu Ishida was at the door. Opening the door, she greeted the Quincy.

"Good afternoon, Miss Hinako." Uryuu bowed to her, waiting for her to invite him in. Although Satomi and he had been dating for several months, Uryuu still seemed nervous around Hinako. "Is Satomi in?"

"Oi! Uryuu!" Renji waved from the overstuffed, flowered chair. Hinako was glad of the interruption. It gave her time to compose herself after hearing the devastating news. She held the door open wider, motioning for Uryuu to come in. He crossed the threshold and moved a few feet into the room, pushing his glasses up as he walked.

"Hello, Miss Rukia…Renji." He cleared his throat before continuing. "I sensed shinigami spirit ribbons, three of them to be exact. I identified one of them as yours, Miss Rukia." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I figured the one of the other ribbons was yours, Renji. If I may ask, who does the third ribbon belong to?"

"It's mine." Jushiro had sensed the Quincy's ribbon long before he had knocked at the door. He had left Satomi in the kitchen, waiting for Uryuu. Jushiro had told her he needed to speak to Hinako and went into the living room to greet the young man.

"Oh, hello Captain Ukitake. It's very good to see you again." Uryuu bowed deeply to the older man. He had come to know and respect Captain Ukitake during their time in Soul Society. Jushiro returned the bow.

Leaping from the chair, Renji sauntered over to Uryuu, putting his arm around the younger man. Grimacing, Uryuu tried moving away from the tall shinigami, but Renji held Uryuu's shoulders tightly. Rukia took pity on him.

"Why don't we go into the kitchen and leave Captain Ukitake alone with Hinako?" Rukia went into the kitchen, not looking behind her and therefor, didn't see the confused look on Uryuu's face.

Uryuu turned to Renji and muttered under his breath. "Why does Captain Ukitake want to be alone with Hinako?" He turned to look at Hinako, noting the faint blush on her cheeks.

Renji's bark of laughter filled the tiny apartment. "Uryuu, buddy", Uryuu glared at Renji when he'd referred to him as 'buddy', "Do I have a story for you!" He went into the kitchen, his arm still around Uryuu's shoulders.

Jushiro watched as Hinako paced the small living room. His heart ached for her. He could only imagine the pain and frustration she must be going through. Satomi was the only close family member that Hinako had. Being so close to his five brothers and two sisters, he couldn't even think of losing one of them. He pushed his long white bangs back from his face and walked over to Hinako.

Horrible thoughts were racing through Hinako's head. Satomi, dead, killed by a terrifying Hollow. Satomi being abducted by the Hollow, never to be seen again. Her body trembled and she hugged her arms to her, trying to warm herself. It wasn't cold in the room, but fear had her in it's grasp, chilling her to her core.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see who it was. Jushiro had come up behind her so quietly, she was surprised to see him. Tears ran down her cheeks and her hands trembled as she brushed them away. She watched at Jushiro took off his haori with his Captain's insignia on it and set it gently around her shoulders. She pushed her arms through the huge sleeves and hugged the warm garment close to her. It smelled just like him. She brought up the collar to her nose and breathed deeply.

Jushiro watched Hinako hug his Captain's haori to herself. An unwanted thought flew through his mind. Hinako, wearing nothing but his Captain's coat. A hint of leg peeking through and the collar slipping down her shoulder. He pushed the sensual thought from his mind, angry with himself. With a Hollow after her sister, this was all he could think about? Hinako with her ash blonde hair streaming down her back, face flushed with passion as she slowly walked toward him, his haori slipping off her gentle shoulders as he took her in his arms and claimed her mouth with his?

Pushing back his bangs, he let out a frustrated sigh. He really had to get a hold of himself. Hinako was still standing in front of him, her nose buried in his haori. His heart took a little leap as he thought of how _right_ she looked wearing it. How right she would look with a black haired baby feeding at her breast, his haori over her, keeping her warm. Hinako, sleeping next to him, her head on his chest, letting the sound of his heartbeat lull her to sleep.

Finally realizing that she still had her nose buried in Jushiro's captain's haori, she straightened up, a blush on her cheeks. She looked at him and seeing the gentle smile on his face, she broke. She could no longer hold herself together and she threw herself into Jushiro's arms. He caught her easily, as if he had been expecting this from the moment he came into the room. Her tears wet the front of his shinigami robes as she wept. His large hand smoothed her hair as his other hand held her to him.

"What am I going to do if I lose her, Jushiro? She's all I have." Hinako's voice was muffled against his clothes. "Our parents are still alive, but they've basically disowned us. My mother constantly tells me I should get married and she thinks Satomi is crazy for living with me. She wants Satomi back home, where she can keep an eye on her and watch her every move, questioning her every decision." A little hiccup escaped Hinako. "And me." Hinako hiccupped again. "She tells me I'm old, I'd better find a husband before I get too old to have kids and no one will want me."

Pulling back from Jushiro's body, wiping tears from her eyes, Hinako met his beautiful copper colored eyes. "Tell me you want me. Even if it's a lie…tell me." She whispered, making Jushiro's body respond to her plea.

"I want you. It's not a lie. God help me, I can't get you out of my mind." Jushiro captured her lush lips with his. Sucking her bottom lip into his mouth, he captured Hinako's groan in his mouth. Deepening the kiss, his tongue mated with hers. Hinako's hands flew from his waist to thread through his white hair. His hands cupped her bottom, bringing her flush against him, letting her feel his arousal. As soon as she begged him to tell her he wanted her, Jushiro's body had responded.

Without breaking the kiss, Jushiro picked Hinako up and took her to the couch. He sat down, cuddling Hinako against his chest. She was sitting on his lap and he was holding her, like he would a child. Except, she was no child and Hinako wanted to be closer to him. She broke the kiss, and maneuvered on his lap until she was straddling his thighs. Pushing his top open, she let her hands roam all over his shoulders and his muscular chest. Her mind was screaming at her to stop. Satomi's life was on the line and here she was, kissing Jushiro as if this was the last time they would see each other for all eternity. But, she couldn't stop. She had never met someone who had made her feel this way. And she wanted more.

Jushiro tried to slow down, but Hinako was having none of it. She rubbed her tongue against his, oh so slowly. She pressed her breasts against Jushiro's naked chest, making him shake with need. His hands gripped her thighs as he brought her closer to him. He broke the kiss, throwing his head back as he tried to hold back a groan. By bringing her closer, he had brought her center up against his arousal. She moved slowly over him, making him unconsciously thrust upwards. Her hands fisted in his hair and she brought his head to her throat.

Latching on to her throat with his mouth, Jushiro held Hinako's body still. If she kept rubbing against him like that, he would drag her into the bedroom and make love to her right now. His mind was screaming at him to stop but once he tasted her warm skin, he was lost. Nipping her throat, Jushiro laved the little red marks his teeth had left behind with his tongue. His right hand slipped under her shirt and traveled upwards, making her gasp. His hand found her breast and he cupped it, dragging his thumb over her nipple, making it harden. She trembled in his arms.

Renji's bark of laughter from the kitchen, broke the spell. Jushiro's hand stilled on her breast and Hinako's hands stilled in his hair. They were both breathing hard. Jushiro removed his hand and Hinako mourned the loss of his touch until she felt his arms surround her waist. She moved her hands from his hair, putting her head on his shoulder and letting her hands move between them. She placed the palms of her hands over his chest, feeling his racing heartbeat.

They stayed that way for awhile. Jushiro's heart slowed to a steady, normal beat. Could love really happen this fast? He had just met Hinako last night. Rukia had known Hinako for several years now and it was obvious Renji knew Hinako about the same length of time. Although, he was Rukia's captain, the two never talked much about their personal lives. He wished he would have met Hinako under better circumstances, but he was glad that he had met her. She was quickly becoming precious to him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of the characters. That honor belongs to Tite Kubo. The characters of Satomi and Hinako are my own creations.

**Lemony situations in the later part of this chapter!! **If this isn't your thing, please leave now. However, if this is what you like…Enjoy!!!

The next few days were very trying for Hinako and Satomi. Hinako had a lot of vacation time saved up from her job so she took a few weeks off to be with Satomi. Hinako was furious with Satomi for still insisting on going to her classes at the college, but Uryuu was with her most of the day so that made Hinako feel a little better. The part time job was another problem. Satomi's boss wouldn't let anyone who wasn't an employee just hang around. Uryuu solved that problem by staying in the area, close enough to Satomi so he could get to her quickly if the Hollow showed up.

The real problem, however, was Renji and Rukia. They meant well by staying in the apartment, but Hinako's apartment was so small that just two extra people being there all the time was an annoyance. Well, three extra people really. Uryuu stayed with them, too. So not only did the sisters have the protection of two Shinigami, they also had a Quincy watching over them.

Satomi was thrilled with Uryuu staying with her. Both of them slept on the couch, spending the nights cuddling and talking. Renji and Rukia slept on the floor behind the couch, directly in front of the path to the kitchen. If Hinako needed a drink during the middle of the night, she had to be careful not to step on them.

Rukia wasn't really the problem. She slept nice and quiet, curled up on her side of the futon cushion. Renji, however, was usually sprawled out all over the place. And he snored…loudly. How Rukia could sleep through that racket was beyond Hinako. Sometimes, Renji talked in his sleep, causing Hinako to giggle and wish there was someone else awake to laugh with.

The main problem was being lonely. Jushiro hadn't been back to see her in almost a week and she missed him terribly. Watching Uryuu and Satomi cuddle on the couch while the three of them watched television was getting to be too much. Renji and Rukia were usually patrolling the town in the evenings, so it was just the three of them. One night, the three of them were watching a scary movie and Satomi was practically on Uryuu's lap. In fact, by the end of the movie, Satomi was curled up against Uryuu saying she wouldn't be able to sleep that night if it wasn't for the fact that Uryuu would be holding her all throughout the night.

Hinako didn't begrudge her sister her relationship with Uryuu. It was just the opposite, in fact. She was happy for her sister. Hinako liked Uryuu and it was obvious that Uryuu was crazy about Satomi. It was just…watching the two of them together, made Hinako so damn lonely.

"I'm going out in the backyard for a bit. It's a nice spring night, kinda warm. I think I'll light a fire in the outdoor fire pit and enjoy the stars." Hinako got out of the flowered chair and looked at the couple on the couch. She sighed as she realized that she might as well have been talking to the chair. Satomi and Uryuu had fallen asleep while watching television. They were cuddled up together like contented kittens after a bowl of milk. Pulling a blanket over the two and grabbing one for herself, Hinako went outside to cry alone.

She built a fire in the outdoor pit and lit it. The wood crackled and the first thin streams of smoke came near. Wood smoke. That's how Jushiro smelled. She sat on the grass and stared into the flames, not really seeing them, but seeing Jushiro's face instead. Her eyes moved from watching the flames to the ashes floating lightly on the slight breeze. A loud pop from the wood made her jump and Hinako brought her attention back to the flames. Soon the movement of the flames had her hypnotized and her mind wandered back to the past, thinking of the day Satomi was born.

It had been a rainy, cold day and Hinako's mother had been cranky all day. She had been having contractions for quite some time but refused to go to the hospital. Finally, her water broke and Hinako convinced her mother it was time to go. Hinako was 16 and had just gotten her driver's license. She called her father and he told her he would meet them at the hospital. Picking up the bag that her mother had packed for the hospital, Hinako helped her mother to the car.

She drove as fast as possible and they made it to the hospital, finding her father waiting for them. The staff checked her mother in and led her to her room. Once her mother was in bed and settled, the long wait began. An hour passed, then two and soon it was obvious that her little brother or sister was in no hurry to come out and see all of them. The doctor decided on giving her mother a medicine that would speed up the process and produce more contractions.

Soon, her mother was panting, trying to breathe through the pain. The contractions were coming faster and lasting longer. At one point, Hinako was ushered from the room and no one would tell her why. As she paced the hall, her thoughts were troubled. Maybe something was wrong with the baby. What if something was wrong with her mother? Hinako's body grew cold as these horrible thoughts raced through her mind. She paced in front of her mother's room for what seemed like hours.

Suddenly, nurses and doctors came running into her mother's room. Hinako held her breath as the cold fingers of fear tightened their grip on her. She could hear a flurry of activity and loud voices. Panic gripping her, Hinako had jumped up and pushed her way into the room. No one noticed her and she held back, waiting for the baby to be born. Satomi slipped from her mother, blue and not breathing. The doctors and nurses worked furiously over Satomi for what seemed like hours, but in reality, it was just minutes. Satomi's first tiny cry had brought tears to Hinako's eyes and she moved further into the room, her arms aching to hold her. Her father was concerned with their mother and he didn't care if Hinako was the first to hold Satomi. The nurse placed the tiny bundle in Hinako's arms and she started to cry. She made Satomi a promise as she looked into that tiny face. She would love and protect her all of her life.

Another loud pop of the wood jolted her out of her memories. Hinako's face was wet with tears she hadn't even realized she had been shedding. There was no use thinking about all of this now. Nothing could change the past and it seemed like the future wasn't much brighter, either. There was a Hollow after Satomi, her sister had fallen in love and would probably leave her in a few months or years and Hinako would be alone for the rest of her life.

God, she was pathetic. Instead of being happy for Satomi, here she was…sitting alone on a beautiful spring night, reliving the past and worrying about the future. It wasn't like she and Satomi were in this mess all alone. They had Uryuu, a powerful Quincy and Renji and Rukia, two strong shinigami. And Jushiro…Hinako quickly stomped down the thought of Jushiro. He hadn't been back to see her in almost a week and she was sure he wouldn't be coming back ever again. She didn't want to ask Rukia how he was doing because she didn't want to seem desperate but if a man kisses you and doesn't come to see you in almost a week, it's a pretty sure sign that he's not interested. Even though he'd kissed her…twice. And she could tell from his body's response the last time he was here, he felt something towards her…or least wanted her body.

A large ash from the fire caught Hinako's attention. She watched it float upwards and then fall back down towards the fire. That was odd, she thought. The ash was dark colored, not the normal light gray color. Peering closer to the fire, Hinako tried to find that strange piece of ash once again. Finally, after a few minutes, she gave up, thinking it was just something from her imagination. A shiver went through her, reminding her that even though it was spring, the nights could get quite cold.

Suddenly, Hinako felt something heavy and warm drop around her shoulders. She looked down, her mind not fully taking in the sight of the white cloth. Then…she smelled it, the faint scent of sakura blossoms. Not really daring to hope but finding it impossible not to, Hinako stood up and slowly turned around. There, standing in the shadows of the large oak tree near the house, was Jushiro. He smiled at her and she smiled back, her lips trembling as she tried to hold back the tears. He held out his arms and she ran to him, thrusting her arms through the sleeves of his haori while she ran.

Hinako stopped a few feet in front of Jushiro. She wanted to run into his strong arms and never leave, but first, she wanted to know where he had been and why he hadn't been in the living world to see her.

Expecting Hinako to run and hug him, Jushiro was a little stunned when she'd stopped in front of him and crossed her arms over her chest, a disgruntled expression on her face. Feeling a little foolish, he dropped his arms to his side and waited for her to speak. He studied her face while he waited. She really looked irritated at him, he thought, while he tried to hide how worried he was from Hinako. It wasn't the Hollow that had him worried. Rather he was worried that after ignoring Hinako for almost a week, she wouldn't want to talk to him and would want him to return to Soul Society.

He did have a good reason for not contacting her. He and Renji had their suspicions of who was behind this Hollow and they didn't want to drag Hinako into the situation anymore than she already was. Jushiro and Renji had met at Kisuke Urahara's shop on several occasions to talk over the situation with Kisuke. If anyone would know about the created Hollow and who was behind it, it would be Kisuke. He was the former Captain of squad 12 and former head of the Shinigami Research Institute.

But, it wasn't Kisuke that Renji and Jushiro were suspicious of. It was Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the current Captain of Squad 12 and the second head of the Shinigami Research Institute. Ever since Mayuri had been defeated by Uryuu during his time in Soul Society, Mayuri had become obsessed with capturing the Quincy again. And if Mayuri wanted a Quincy, it would stand to reason that he would also want to capture the person closest to the Quincy. And that person was Satomi.

They stood under the huge oak tree for several minutes, neither one speaking, just staring into each other's faces. Deep in her heart, Hinako knew there was a good reason for Jushiro staying away from her for this long but she couldn't deny that her feelings were hurt. And while she wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms, she wanted answers from him even more.

Pushing himself away from the trunk of the tree, Jushiro slowly went to Hinako. She looked so beautiful in the light of the moon and the bright stars. He pushed her long blonde hair back over her shoulders, letting his hand trail down to the small of her back. He noticed that she was still shivering a bit. Thinking it was because of the chill in the night and not his touch, he gathered her in his arms and held her.

All thoughts of demanding answers from Jushiro fled Hinako's thoughts. It felt too good to be here like this, in his arms, feeling his heartbeat strong against her cheek. Shaking the long sleeves of his haori back from her hands, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry." His voice was quiet in the night. "I wanted to come back to the living world much sooner but I was delayed while I was looking for answers about the Hollow." He set his chin on the top of her head and continued. "Renji and I met with someone who could give us the answers we needed to protect you and Satomi. Has either Rukia or Renji ever told you about Kisuke Urahara?"

Hinako thought for a moment. The named seem a bit familiar but she couldn't put a face to it. "Who is he?"

"You'll meet him tomorrow. He runs a shop here in the living world." Pulling back a bit from their embrace, Jushiro looked at Hinako, a wry smile on his face. "I'm sure you'll find his merchandise most interesting. " He started laughing at the confused look on Hinako's face. There was really no way to describe what Kisuke had tucked away in his shop. One had to see it to believe it.

"Oh and since I'm staying here for awhile, will you take me shopping for clothes? Kisuke has a gigai for me and I don't want Rukia picking out clothes for me while I'm in it."

Hinako couldn't help it. She threw her head back and laughed. Rukia had picked out clothes for Renji to wear while he was in his gigai and she had gotten some of the loudest, strangest clothing Hinako had ever seen. Renji looked like he had stepped out of a time warp from the 1970's and nothing Rukia gave him matched. Hinako's favorite piece of clothing had to be the "Chappy the Rabbit" pink shirt.

"But, why? Don't you think you would look good in a Chappy the Rabbit shirt?" Jushiro grimaced, sending Hinako into a fit of giggles.

"Actually, I was thinking of clothing like Ichigo wears. You know, jeans and a T-shirt. Or maybe a few sweaters." With his lung ailment, he tended to be colder than most shinigami.

Feeling the dampness of the spring night creeping into him, he pulled Hinako back to the fire. He added more wood and while he waited for it to catch, he straightened out the blanket on the ground, sitting down and pulling Hinako down in front of him. She wiggled backwards until she was between his spread legs and leaned back, letting her head fall back on his shoulder. His arms surrounded her and with their fingers intertwined, they sat in silence, watching the fire.

"Do you want your haori back?"

"No. I like seeing you wearing it."

They sat together for about an hour, just watching the fire and enjoying each other's company. Sometimes, they talked about little things but most of the time, they were quiet. As the fire died down, Jushiro wanted to ask if he could spend the night. He knew from Rukia that Uryuu and Satomi slept on the couch and Renji and Rukia took a futon and slept on the floor. That just left Hinako's bed.

Hinako chewed on her bottom lip as she wondered how to ask Jushiro to spend the night. She didn't want to seem like a loose woman who grabbed the first Shinigami she'd gotten her hands on. And Jushiro was the first Shinigami she'd gotten her hands on and she didn't want to let him go back to the Soul Society tonight...or any other night, if she was being honest with herself. She needed to be with him, to hear his soft breathing in his sleep and feel his heartbeat. She took a deep breath.

"Will you…"

"May I…"

They both paused as they waited for the other to speak. Hinako's heart beat faster as she'd wondered what Jushiro was about to say. She had turned around to look at him, her eyes bright with anticipation.

"May I stay here tonight?"

Hinako nodded and Jushiro got up and banked the fire. When he was done, he held out his hand and she put her tiny hand in his. They entered the house and went to her bedroom, being careful not to wake Satomi and Uryuu. Hinako lit the small lamp by the bed and sat down, playing with the hem of Jushiro's Captain's haori. Stilling her hands, he took the haori off of her and laid it across the foot of the bed.

Kneeling down by the bed, Jushiro took Hinako's face in his hands. They kissed softly. There wasn't the feeling of urgency as the last time they had been together. Hinako now realized that her feelings for Jushiro ran deep. She still wouldn't say she was in love with him…yet… but after being apart for this week, she knew that she had deeper feelings for him than any other man she'd been with in the past.

"I'm just going to get changed and I'll be right back. Are you going to be comfortable enough in your shinigami clothes?"

"They'll do for tonight. Tomorrow, you can help me pick out more comfortable clothes for sleeping."

Hinako blushed as she imagined Jushiro, wearing only loose fitting sleeping pants that rode low on his waist. She quickly turned away, rummaging through her drawers, searching for pajamas. She turned back to tell him she would change in the other room and saw he was untying his white obi from around his waist.

"W…what are you doing?" She squeaked out, her voice higher than normal.

"Taking off my hakama. I guess you would call them pants."

"You do have something else under those?" I hope, she thought to herself. Sleeping next to a nude Jushiro was a guarantee that she wouldn't get any sleep that night.

"Yes, I have my shinigami kimono on."

"Oh, good." She let out a sigh of relief. "Umm, I'm just going to get changed into my pajamas and I'll be back. Make yourself comfortable but keep your kimono on!"

Racing through her nighttime ritual, Hinako was soon back in the room. She closed the door behind her. Her heart raced as she took in the sight of the handsome man in her bed. True to his word, Jushiro still had his shinigami kimono on. He was squished up against the wall, leaving her plenty of room in the small bed. His right arm was behind his head and his eyes were closed.

Almost running to the bed, Hinako pulled back the covers and jumped in the bed. She brought the covers up to her neck, laying as stiff as a board. She stared at the ceiling, praying she would fall asleep quickly.

"Are you afraid of the dark?"

Damn! She had forgotten and left the little light by the bed on. But, before she could turn it off, Jushiro leaned over her and clicked it off. His hand came to rest beside her head. He was so close to her, she could feel his breath on her cheek.

"Hinako." Oh, the way he said her name. It was almost like a prayer. Her eyes fluttered closed and she turned slightly towards him. "Hinako." This time, he said her name even more quietly and brushed his lips near her mouth. Letting go of the death grip on the covers, she brushed the back of her fingers on his cheek.

Groaning, Jushiro captured her lips with his in a searing kiss. Cupping the back of Hinako's head with his hand, he tilted her head, giving him better access to her and deepening the kiss. Letting the breath out that she had been holding, Hinako opened her mouth wider. It wasn't enough and Jushiro put his thumb on her chin, forcing her mouth to open wider. He rubbed his tongue against hers, making her shake with pleasure.

Heat shot through her body, making her hands restless. She pushed his kimono open wider and he took his arms out of the sleeves, never breaking the kiss. It was the first time she had touched his naked back. She could feel scars on his back and upper arms from long ago battles. Letting her fingers trace them, Hinako could feel Jushiro shudder next to her and he pressed his body closer to hers. She could feel his arousal, hard and long against her hip and she shifted in the bed until she cuddled it with her hips.

Rolling her on her back, Jushiro began kissing and nipping at Hinako's throat. His fingers made quick work of the buttons on her top. Slowly kissing his way down her breast, he hovered over one rosy nipple, letting his warm breath tease it until it was hard.

"Please…" Begging him to stop this torment on her body, Hinako gripped his shoulders and tried to bring him closer. She gasped as he took the nipple in his mouth, flicking it with his tongue and then sucking hard. She could feel the wetness seeping from her body and she ground against him, her hips bucking and her legs shaking. If he was wringing this kind of response from her body by just doing this, she couldn't imagine what it would be like to make love to him.

Letting go of one nipple, he softly blew on it before moving over to the other one. Engulfing it in his mouth, he thrust his hips again Hinako, her moans filling the small room. He had promised himself that he would just be sleeping here with Hinako but as soon as he tasted her sweet mouth, he was lost in a sea of passion.

It wasn't as if she was his first, far from it. Many years ago, he had a long relationship with Captain Unohana. They had been lovers but soon realized, their relationship was based more on friendship than love.

"Shiro…we have to stop." Hinako's voice trembled softly in the room. She felt his body go stiff and then almost immediately, relax. "Please, don't be angry with me."

Rolling off of Hinako, Jushiro laid down on the bed, dragging her with him. She laid her head on his chest, trying to catch her breath. She was right about stopping and while his body was crying out for release, he knew this wasn't the right time to make love to her. He didn't bother putting his arms through the sleeves of his kimono. He still wanted to feel her against his skin.

"I'm not angry with you. I swear to you, I never meant things to go this far." He stroked her hair while he tried to control his breathing. The last thing he wanted to do was have an attack now. Soon, his breathing was under control and he felt Hinako's hand move up over his heart. She sighed and moved her head to a more comfortable position on his chest. Soon, the sound of his heartbeat was lulling her to sleep.

Jushiro knew the moment she fell asleep. Her body totally relaxed and her hand stopped moving over his chest. He stared at the ceiling. This mission had suddenly become extremely complicated. He couldn't lie to himself any longer. He was in love with Hinako.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach or any of the characters. That honor belongs to Tite Kubo. The characters of Satomi and Hinako are my own creations.

This huge thank you, goes out to all of my patient readers! My muse skipped out on me for a bit, but he's back.

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Satomi woke to a kiss on her nose. Opening her eyes, she looked into the deep blue eyes of her boyfriend, Uryuu Ishida. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Satomi wasn't grumpy in the mornings, like Hinako was but it did take her a little bit to wake up. Stretching her arms above her head and yawning, Satomi wondered when she and Uryuu had drifted off to sleep. The last thing she remembered was she, Hinako and Uryuu were watching a movie they had seen several times. Having had her hardest classes at the college that day, she was really tired and found it harder and harder to keep her eyes open as the night wore on.

The last thing she'd remembered was snuggling closer to Uryuu and thinking to herself that she would close her eyes for 'just a bit'. She must have drifted off to sleep soon after.

"I've made scrambled eggs, bacon, lots of toast and put all the jelly I could find out on the table." Uryuu watched with fiery blue eyes as Satomi stretched. He didn't know how much longer he could hold back from making Satomi his. Holding her soft body during the night was pure torture sometimes and he began to wake up earlier than Satomi to hide his body's reaction to her. And those little noises she made in her sleep. They drove him wild. He wanted to touch her, to taste her, listen to her moan out his name as she climaxed.

Uryuu could feel his body respond to his erotic thoughts and he turned away from Satomi so she wouldn't see how aroused he was. He walked back into the kitchen, turning back to talk to her.

"If you can wake Hinako up, I'll pour the orange juice for all of us." There was no way Uryuu was waking Hinako up. For one, he never knew what kind of mood she would be in. Sometimes, she was chipper and awake in the mornings but most times, she was quiet and grumpy. And she usually was disoriented, walking into walls and tripping over furniture because half the time, she forgot to put her glasses on and she couldn't see very well without them.

Satomi searched for her glasses and found them on the coffee table in front of her. Hinako must have taken hers and Uryuu's off of them when she went to bed last night. Satomi rubbed the sleep from her eyes and put her glasses on. Climbing out from under the blanket that Hinako had laid over her and Uryuu, Satomi walked across the living room and stopped in front of Hinako's door.

With Uryuu staying over night all the time, it wasn't odd for Hinako to have her door closed, giving the couple on the couch some privacy. Satomi slowly opened the door and stifled a giggle. When they were younger, Hinako liked nothing more than to creep into Satomi's room, fling open the room darkening curtains and sing at the top of her lungs. Satomi hated it and would throw her pillow at Hinako and if Hinako caught it, she would steal it and make Satomi come and get it back.

Satomi made her way to Hinako's windows as silently as she could. Once there, she grabbed the cords on the drapes and yanked. Bright sunlight streamed into the room and Satomi broke into song.

"Good morning, Hinako! How are you! I hope you're feeling fine! I'd like to stay and talk but it's almost 8 o'clock and I haven't got the time!!" Satomi finished with a flourish, singing the last line at the top of her lungs. She turned, ready to pounce on her sister and steal her pillow. Her feet, however, wouldn't move.

There in bed with Hinako, was a very sleepy, very handsome and if Satomi guessed right… a very naked Shinigami. Jushiro peeled one eye open and winced at the bright light. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he could see why the room went from complete darkness to bright light. Satomi stood by the window, hands over her mouth in shock.

"Good morning, Satomi. I trust you slept well." His voice was rough with sleep.

Jushiro had forgotten that he had slipped his arms out of his kimono and all Satomi could see was his broad, scarred chest. He pushed down the blanket a little more, exposing himself almost to the waist. Hinako was still curled around him, asleep, one hand on his chest, the other beneath the blanket. She began to stir.

"I'm sorry! I…I didn't know you were here!" Satomi stammered out. Without another look at the couple, Satomi ran from the room.

Still not totally awake, Jushiro frowned at Satomi's odd behavior. Hinako rolled onto her back, her sleep shirt still unbuttoned from the night before. He could see her unbound breasts, spilling out from her top. He wanted to touch them, caress them, suckle them. Softly, he placed his hand on her belly, running his hand over her creamy skin. She let out a breathy moan and his body began to respond.

Scooting down the bed, he leaned over Hinako and pressed his lips to her pulse point. He began to suck, already forgetting Satomi had come into the room and that was the reason he was awake. He knew he should stop but Hinako was just too tempting. Inching his hand upwards, he cupped one full breast. He rubbed his thumb over a nipple, watching as it hardened under his gentle assault.

Hinako was having the most erotic dream. Jushiro was in bed with her, nude, doing the most wicked things to her body. She arched her back, trying to get closer to his touch. This dream was so real, she thought. She could have sworn that she could actually feel his soft hair trailing across her belly. Hinako gasped softly and her eyes fluttered open as Jushiro gently nipped her collarbone.

It wasn't a dream. Jushiro was really here in her bed, caressing her breast and kissing her body. She sat up all of a sudden, pushing Jushiro back on the other side of the bed. Disoriented as usual, she thought she had more room on the bed and went to roll away from him. She promptly rolled off the bed and onto the floor.

THUMP!!

Hinako grunted as her shoulder hit the floor. Looking up through her hair, she could see his smiling face peering over the side of the bed. Squinting at him to try to bring him into focus, Hinako pushed her hair back over her shoulder. It was quite chilly this morning and she couldn't figure out the reason why. Looking down, she saw that her pajama top was open and her breasts were out, her nipples stiff in the cool morning. Quickly, she buttoned her top shut and sighed as Jushiro laughed.

"Good morning." He whispered in the quiet room. He was laying on the bed, his head on his crossed arms.

"Morning." Hinako slapped a grin on her face, trying to make the blush on her face go away. Part of her wanted to jump back into the bed and finish what Jushiro had started. The blush on her face deepened as she remembered how he had made her feel last night. The loving caresses, the feel of his lips on her body and the way he made her moan in pleasure.

Pushing the erotic thoughts out of her mind, Hinako picked herself off the floor and put on what she thought was her bathrobe but it was Jushiro's haori. She fussed with her hair and once she felt a little more under control, turned to face Jushiro. His eyes were hungry as he looked at Hinako, wearing his haori. He was sitting up in bed, his long legs over the side and pulled her to him.

"Someday, I want to see you in my haori…nothing but my haori." Pulling her between his legs, he laid his head on her breast. He could hear her heartbeat in the quiet room and understood why Hinako was fascinated with listening to his heartbeat. It was a comforting sound. It was the sound of another person's life and he would be content to sit here, in her bedroom, listening to it for the rest of the day.

After a strange breakfast with Satomi and Uryuu; the former not being able to meet his eyes without blushing furiously, Jushiro and Hinako went shopping for clothes. Hinako had to guess at Jushiro's sizes but she thought everything would fit. She picked out a few sweaters, a couple of pairs of jeans and some shoes. Jushiro wouldn't even consider underwear, saying he never wore any in almost 2000 years and he wasn't about to start now.

Trying her hardest not to get flustered, Hinako quickly left the underwear department and headed for the sleepwear. Talking to Jushiro under her breath, for he was still in his Shinigami form, he okayed a few pairs of sleep pants. One was black silk and the other was navy blue silk. Her heart raced as she wondered what it would be like, sleeping next to Jushiro who would only be wearing silk pajama bottoms.

Jushiro was very aware that Hinako didn't want to draw attention to herself by talking to him. No one else could see him and it seemed a perfect time for some teasing. By nature, he was a gentle person, who often thought more about others than himself. Popular in the Shinigami Academy, his reputation was only more solidified when he became a Captain. He was fair and based his decisions on what was right and not what was popular. But there was also a side of him that loved teasing people. He loved to give Captain Hitsugaya huge bags of candy just to see the disgruntled look on the younger man's face.

"What do you think about the sleep pants?" Jushiro whispered in Hinako's ear. "Do you think they will fit?" He made his voice more breathy than usual, causing Hinako to shiver in pleasure as his warm breath made it's way across her neck.

Trying her hardest not to think of him only wearing these to bed, Hinako nodded her head. She didn't trust her voice. She gathered up his clothes and went to make her way to the register. A large, warm hand on her arm stopped her.

"Don't you think I should try on the clothes before we buy them?"

"No! For one thing, no one can see you and how are you supposed to get into the dressing room with all these clothes?"

"Can't you come with me? I might need your help." She could hear the smile in Jushiro's voice but she couldn't believe he was teasing her like this. He was running his fingers lightly up and down her forearms. She decided that she would give him a taste of his own medicine.

Looking around, making sure no one was watching, Hinako pushed Jushiro into a rack of clothes. The look of surprise on his face as he disappeared into the round rack made it totally worth it. She went into the tall, round rack after him.

"Your bad, you know that? You're nothing but a big, bad Captain." Hinako purred in her best seductive voice, hoping it sounded seductive and not silly. "Teasing me like that in the store. Taking advantage of my good nature. I take you shopping and this is how you repay me?" Dropping the clothes, she ran her hands over his chest, sending both hands under his Shinigami kimono, sliding the collar off his shoulders a bit.

Jushiro bit his lip, almost drawing blood. What had started out as a little innocent sexual teasing was becoming so much more. He liked this side of Hinako. He could get used to this side of Hinako. If she didn't quit touching him like that, he was going to drag her home, lock the door and kiss her all over, until she was begging for him to take her, to stop his torment.

It was only supposed to be a game, a little flirting in the afternoon. Her hands roamed over his broad chest, her fingers remembering the feel of his hot skin last night. The feel of his scars under the sensitive pads of her fingers. She looked up at his face. Jushiro's eyes were closed and his mouth was open slightly.

This is what he must look like when he was making love. Heat pooled at her core, wetting her tiny pair of panties she put on this morning. Eyes fluttering shut, Hinako imagined Jushiro, his large body over her, his forehead on her neck, his long white hair spilling over his back and onto her sheets. His strong arms surrounding her while she writhed in his arms as he moved inside her. If she kept up with this train of thought, she was going to drag him home, lock her bedroom door and let him do whatever he wanted to her for the entire afternoon.

"Ah ha!" Suddenly, a face appeared in an opening in the rack of clothes. "Trying to steal some clothes!"

After letting out a little squeal and jumping, almost knocking Jushiro over, Hinako glared at the person who interrupted them. It was a little security guard, his tiny eyes narrowed at Hinako. Since Jushiro wasn't in a gigai yet, no one other than her could see him. He must have thought Hinako was hiding in here, waiting for just the right moment to make a run for it with all the clothes in her hands. He had the same effect on her as a bucket of ice cold water.

Gathering up the clothes under the watchful eye of the security guard, Hinako and the unseen Jushiro made their way to the front of the store and checked out. Jushiro whispered in Hinako's ear that he would take the bag with the clothes, but Hinako reminded him that he wasn't in his gigai yet and a floating bag would be very obvious.

"How far is this Kisuke Urahara's store?"

"Not far. It's only another block and we'll be there."

Directing Hinako down an alleyway, they came to a dead end. It didn't look like much of a store. No fancy writing, no front windows advertising merchandise and certainly no people coming in or out. In fact, the store looked like it wasn't even open.

"Hello."

Hinako spun around at the sound of the tiny voice. She had been so intent on staring at the store, that she hadn't heard anyone come up behind them. There, behind her and Jushiro, stood a little girl with black hair.

"Hello, Ururu. Is Kisuke awake yet?" Jushiro bent down to the little girl's level.

"Yes, he's awake and waiting for you in the store. Is this pretty lady you talked about last time you were here?"

Jushiro flushed a bit at Ururu's question. He still didn't tell Hinako that he loved her. Maybe he shouldn't wait for the perfect moment, maybe he should just come out and tell her. Scratching the back of his head, Jushiro stalled for time, not sure how to answer Ururu.

"Pretty lady, huh? My name is Hinako and I'm guessing your name is Ururu." Hinako gave a sideways look at Jushiro. "I think you and I should have some girl talk." Taking the Ururu's hand, Hinako asked where the entrance was and soon the two of them were in the store, talking.

The sound of geta sandals came from the backroom. Emerging from the back, his face hidden behind a white paper fan, was Kisuke Urahara. A green and white striped hat covered his blonde hair and partially hid his eyes. His Zanpakuto, hidden in a cane, was in his other hand and every third tap came from the cane.

Eyes searching the room and missing nothing, Kisuke sidled up to Jushiro. "So, this is the human woman." Jushiro nodded, waiting to see where Kisuke was going with this. "Isn't it…strange to be with a human woman?"

Looking sideways at Kisuke, Jushiro gave him a slight grin. "Strange talk, coming from a man who's lover takes on a cat form."

The fan waved back and forth, the man behind it silent for a moment, while he thought this over. Suddenly, Kisuke laughed and gave Jushiro a mighty thump on the back. "Good point! Good point." Snapping the fan shut, Kisuke put it away in his pocket. "So, did you bring clothes for your gigai? I have it already and you can either leave it here or take it to your woman's house."

"Her name is Hinako and I think I'll keep it at her house. Make it easier for both of us and that way, if we are out together and the Hollow attacks, she can take my gigai back to her apartment to wait for me."

Ururu was still talking about Jinta and the cruel prank he played on her the other day, when Hinako's ear caught something. Did Jushiro really say that she would take the gigai back and wait for him? Did he really think she was just going to sit back, like a timid little woman and let him deal with the Hollow? Two sets of eyes were better than one!

"Excuse me, Ururu. I'll be right back." Hinako walked over to Jushiro. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correct. I'm supposed to stay back at the apartment while you risk your life, fighting this Hollow. Is that the jist of it?" Folding her arms across her chest, Hinako stared into Jushiro's surprised eyes.

"You didn't actually think I would allow you to come along, did you?"

"Allow me? Allow me to come along?" Hinako raised her brows at Jushiro. "Oh, I didn't realize that I needed your permission to go see the Hollow that is after my sister. Or gain your blessing as I watch as you or Renji or Rukia, kill this monster that is after my sister…my only sister!" Hinako stood with both hands on her hips, her breathing rough as her throat burned from the effort of holding back the obscenities she would love to yell at this man.

"You're staying at the apartment, Hinako. End of discussion!" Jushiro jabbed Hinako's shoulder and she gasped in outrage. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Make me." Those two words sent a red curtain of rage over Jushiro's eyes. Make her? Oh he would make her, alright. Bending over and gripping Hinako's thighs, Jushiro tossed her over his shoulder and made his way out of the store.

"Save that gigai for me, Kisuke. I'll be back once I've talked some sense into this woman." Jushiro grinned as Hinako sputtered with rage over his shoulder. It had been years since he'd felt this alive. Making his way to a tiny corner of the alley, he called for his hell butterfly and another one for Hinako.

"Just where the hell do you think you're taking me?" Tiny fists pounded on his back. "Put me down! This is…this is barbaric!! Is this how men treat women in Soul Society? Tossing them over their shoulders, like cavemen?"

SLAP! Jushiro's hand made contact with Hinako's buttocks. "Oh!" Trying to get her hair out of her eyes, Hinako only succeeded in messing her hair up more. It was tangled and hung down to Jushiro's thighs. Hinako watched it swing back and forth, her temper rising with each step Jushiro took. He didn't slap her butt hard, but just enough to make it sting.

"Put me down, damn it!" They were at the double doors to Soul Society. "How the hell am I supposed to go through the gate? Rukia always told me I couldn't go through."

"You'll be fine. Now hush, while we wait for the hell butterflies." Jushiro shifted Hinako over his shoulder, jarring her and jabbing her in the stomach.

"Jushiro, put me down before I get sick." That did it. Setting Hinako down on her feet, Jushiro hauled her up beside him. "Now, let's go back to the store and get your gigai." He could be reasonable, couldn't he? She watched in growing agitation as Jushiro shook his head at her. A tiny black hell butterfly with purple stripes fluttered before her eyes, followed by one with bright pink stripes. The first one landed on Jushiro's finger and he whispered to it.

"Take me back now or…" Hinako didn't get to finish as Jushiro's mouth came crashing down on hers. Every thought of fighting him, flew from her mind as his tongue rubbed against hers. The kiss was hot and wet. Without realizing it, Hinako's hands ended up tangled in Jushiro's hair and she was pulling his mouth closer. His hands were everywhere on her quickly heating body and she craved more of his touch.

"Ready?" Jushiro's voice was soft and sensual in her ear.

"Oh, yes." She managed to moan out. Wet kisses rained down her neck, his teeth nipping at her collarbone. Desire coursed through her, hot and sharp and before she knew it, she was in his arms, cradled to a hard, broad chest.

"Here we go."

It took Hinako a few seconds to break through her haze of pleasure and realize what was happening. That…that jerk had taken her through the gate and they were now in Soul Society!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach or any of the characters. That honor belongs to Tite Kubo. The characters of Satomi and Hinako are my own creations.

**WARNING!!! **There's a great, big, giant lemon at the end of this chapter!! (Sheesh! You could at least read the rest of my disclaimer before scrolling down!!) If that's what you like to read, enjoy!! If not, please find another story.

Being thrown over a man's shoulder was only romantic in books or movies. In real life, it hurt like hell. Hinako was sure her stomach would have a huge bruise and it would take weeks for the soreness to go away.

Oh, she wanted to smack him! No, not smack him, yell at him until she lost her voice. Yes, that would be better. Give him a piece of her mind, just like she'd wanted to do the first time she'd met him when she'd been drinking with Renji and Jushiro showed up to take Renji back to Soul Society. Yell at him so loud, all of Soul Society would know what he'd done. How he threw her over his shoulder and dragged her here.

Where exactly was here, anyway? Hinako looked around. Sakura trees were everywhere, their blossoms falling gently to the ground, making a carpet of pink silk as far as the eye could see. No wonder Jushiro smelled like cherries, these damn trees were all over the place. Clouds lazily passed overhead in the bright blue sky. A fat round sun hung high above them. And the people…

Oh, shit! People! There were people everywhere, in the streets, in doorways and some sitting in a little park that she and Jushiro had ended up in. Struggling to get out of his arms, Hinako whispered to Jushiro.

"Oh my god, Jushiro! Put me down! Oh, do you think they see us? What a stupid question…of course they do! We just appeared out of thin air, for heaven's sake!" Hinako wiggled more but Jushiro tightened his hold on her, making it hard for her to move. "Will you answer me?"

"See that little house across the lake?" Scanning the calm, little lake, Hinako saw the house that Jushiro pointed out. It was adorable! "That's my house." He kissed her temple.

"Oh! It's so cute! It looks like it just dropped out of a Japanese fairy tale! Like an ancient samurai lives there!" Wait a minute…what the hell was she going on and on about? She was angry with him, right? Hinako couldn't deny that her anger at Jushiro was waning and as hard as she tried, she just couldn't get back that white hot anger that had hit her at Urahara's shop.

A samurai? Is that how Hinako sees him, Jushiro wondered. He had always considered himself a warrior but to hear someone call him a samurai… It made his heart do little flip flops.

Two black blurs came flying from overhead, one with black hair and one with light reddish-orange hair. Hinako's eyes widened as the sandal covered feet barely missed Jushiro's head, making the hairs on the top of his head stand up slightly. Without even thinking, Hinako smoothed his hair back from his face, earning her a tender smile.

She didn't even notice. All of Hinako's attention was on the two people currently kneeling in front of Jushiro, their heads bowed so low that she couldn't see their faces. The one with black hair was a male and the other was female. Who were these shinigami?

"Captain!" The male yelled and Hinako jumped a little in Jushiro's arms. He must be used to this, Hinako thought, because Jushiro didn't even change expressions on his face. "As soon as I sensed your return to Soul Society, I came right away!" The black haired man never lifted his head when he spoke to Jushiro.

"I was out the door first, my Captain!" The woman with the bright red-orange hair spoke.

"That's only because you locked the door behind you and I had to waste precious time unlocking the door! That's the only reason you got so far ahead of me, Kiyone!"

"Don't blame me for your being so slow, Sentaro!"

"Quit trying to one up me all the time!"

"I don't try to one up you! I'm just a better 3rd seat than you are!"

Both shinigami were on their feet, their faces inches from each other, as they glared and bared their teeth at each other. Hinako felt like she was watching a tennis match. Head going back and forth between the black haired man, who was named Sentaro and the red haired female, Kiyone. She felt like her head was spinning, trying to keep up with the two of them as they hurled one insult after another. Looking at Jushiro, she was surprised to see a grimace on his face.

Oh, those two! Jushiro sighed. They would never stop trying to convince him that one of them was better than the other, which was the exact reason he couldn't choose between Kiyone and Sentaro for the position of Lieutenant.

"Jushiro?" Hinako whispered. "Who are they?"

"Kiyone! Sentaro!" Both heads whipped to look at Jushiro, their mouths dropping as they finally took notice of the lovely woman in their Captain's arms. "Hinako, may I introduce you to my co-third seats, Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentaro Kotsubaki." Sentaro recovered first, bowing to Hinako but Kiyone was still frozen in place, a look of absolute shock on her face.

In all her years in squad 13, she had never seen Jushiro with a woman, let alone seen him hold one in his arms. Hot tears gathered in her large eyes as she realized that no matter how much she loved her Captain, it was a love that would never be returned. Kiyone bowed, not so much as a gesture of respect, but more to hid the tears that threatened to fall.

"Captain, is this the woman that the hollow is after?" Sentaro relaxed his stance as he asked the question. "Did you bring her to Soul Society for her safety?"

Hinako wiggled and was finally able to jump from Jushiro's arms. "No, the hollow is after my sister, but Jushiro here," she jerked her thumb over her shoulder, pointing it at Jushiro, "He kidnapped me!" She rushed up to Kiyone, thinking that the other woman would help her. "Go get help! Does he have any friends?" Chewing on her bottom lip, Hinako answered her own question. "Probably not, if how he brought me here is any indication of his true nature." She turned and glared at Jushiro, who just smiled serenely back at her, causing her to frown even harder at him. "He kidnapped me, you know." Hinako glared at Sentaro, as he let out a bark of laughter at that statement.

Kiyone just stared in disbelief at Hinako. This…this woman called her Captain by his first name? How dare she! Accusing Captain Ukitake, one of the most honorable captains in the Gotei 13, of kidnapping? And just who was she to Captain Ukitake? The next words out of Jushiro's mouth stunned Kiyone even more.

"I only threw you over my shoulder and brought you here because you wouldn't listen to reason and I wanted to take you someplace where you couldn't run away."

Walking back to Jushiro, Hinako put her hands on her hips. "That's your reason? So I couldn't run away? How about you talk to me instead of telling me what you want me to do?" Hinako brushed the front of Jushiro's haori off, straightening it as she talked. "My sister's life is in danger and you couldn't take 5 minutes to talk to me? What century do you think we live in, Shiro? The Middle Ages?" Brushing the hair back from his face, she met his copper colored eyes and sighed. How could she stay mad at this beautiful man, when she was in love with him?

Hinako's eyes widened as that realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She did love this man, even though they hadn't known each other for very long. Snatching her hand away from his hair, Hinako blushed and turned around, walking back to Kiyone. Glancing at Sentaro and the half grin on his face, Hinako knew he would be no help to her. Kiyone was her only hope. Placing her hand on the other woman's arm, Hinako gasped at the look in Kiyone's eyes. Eyes full of jealousy and anger looked into her own blue eyes and Hinako pulled her hand back, letting it fall to her side.

"Captain," Jushiro looked at Kiyone, frowning at the angry look in her eyes. "Captain Kyouraku wanted you to come see him when you returned from your errand in the living world. Shall I inform him of your return and let him know you will be by when you…ah…are…free?"

"Thank you, Sentaro, but I will send my message by hell butterfly." Reaching out, he took Hinako's hand in his. "Come on, Hinako. I want to show you my house."

Throwing one last pleading look over her shoulder, Hinako had no choice but to follow Jushiro to his house. Sentaro watched the couple walk away, a smile on his face. So, his Captain had finally fallen in love, with a human woman, no less. He turned to say something to Kiyone, but she was already running away…in the direction of Captain Kyouraku's home.

"Kiyone! Get back here! Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I'm following orders from Captain Kyouraku!"

Sentaro sighed. He could hear the tears in her voice. So, his suspicion was correct, she really was in love with Captain Ukitake. Putting all his spiritual energy into his legs, Sentaro used flash steps to try and catch up with Kiyone before she got to Captain Kyouraku.

The couple crossed a long walkway over the clear water of the lake and rounded the corner of the house, Jushiro slid the door open and with a sweep of his hand, ushered Hinako inside. Stepping in to the little house, she kicked off her sneakers and padded, in her sock covered feet, from the little entryway to the main room of the house. It was nice and cozy, with a futon couch on the opposite wall of the door, a big fireplace to her left and two sliding doors to her right. The room was done in muted colors of green and tan.

Jushiro slid open the right hand door and went in. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Hinako followed and found the kitchen. A stove? A stove that used wood for heat? She hoped Jushiro didn't expect her to cook! There were no electric appliances, no outlets and no electric lights. A big window next to the little table let in the dying sunlight and Jushiro lit an oil lamp in the center of the table, bringing more light into the room.

"What do you think?"

What did she think? What was she supposed to think? Alice, falling down the rabbit hole, probably wasn't as confused as she was at this moment! No electricity, no ordinary kitchen appliances and most important…where the hell was the bathroom?

"It's…nice." Hinako smiled as she tried to make up for the lame comment. Here he was, in his own world, in his own house and all she can come up with is…it's nice? Truthfully, she felt like crying in frustration.

"Let's go back in the living area. It's more comfortable in there."

Sitting down on the futon, Jushiro patted the space next to him but Hinako sat as far away from him as she could. She couldn't let his nearness affect her. She still wanted answers. Crossing her arms and looking away from him, Hinako waited for Jushiro to apologize for his earlier behavior.

"Hinako, I want to explain why I don't want you there when we battle the hollow." Without uncrossing her arms, Hinako turned her head, looking at Jushiro. "Yes, I said we. Renji, Rukia and I are more than a match for a hollow, even a created hollow that has only one goal in mind. Killing Satomi." Running his hand through his snow white hair, he sighed. "Have you ever seen anyone you cared for, killed before your very eyes?"

The pain in his eyes was too much for Hinako and she uncrossed her arms, moving closer to Jushiro on the futon couch. "No." Reaching out for his hand, she grasped it between her two smaller hands. He held on tightly.

"I have."

"But, Shiro…I want to be there!" Anguish made her voice sharp. "Someone is after my sister and I want to be there, to see the monster that is after my sister, destroyed! Can't you understand?" Her eyes pleaded with his.

Jushiro said nothing. After a long moment, he got up from the futon and went into the left hand door. When he slid it open, Hinako could see a bed and rightly guessed that this was his bedroom. Coming out, he threw a blood stained Captain's haori on the futon and it landed next to her. Pain and anger made his eyes dark, almost turning them to black.

"Do you see this?" He spoke, his voice harsh and low. Hinako nodded, slowly. "This is my reminder. A reminder of the last time I failed someone I cared about!" Pacing the room, Jushiro let his mind drift back, back to that day, when Kaien Shiba was killed.

"It was supposed to be a simple mission. My 3rd seat at that time was Miyako Shiba and she was married to Kaien, my lieutenant. Miyako was a brilliant healer and she and Kaien were so much in love." A ghost of a smile crossed Jushiro's pain filled face. "On that night, Miyako was sent on a reconnaissance mission to gather information about a hollow that had been plaguing us for some time. When she'd returned, she was in bad shape, but that wasn't the worst part. She had been possessed by the hollow and she slaughtered several shinigami that were on patrol."

Hinako's heart sank, for she had a growing suspicion of just what happened next.

"Kaien asked for permission to go after her and I said, yes. Rukia and I followed and when we got to the hollow's lair, we saw what was left of Miyako. Kaien fought the hollow for revenge for what it'd done to his beloved wife. When Kaien's Zanpakuto broke, he still fought. Fought for his wife's pride, his men's pride, but most of all, for his own pride. The hollow soon possessed him as it had done to Miyako and then, it was after me. I tried to kill it but it spied Rukia, hiding in the trees and went for her." With shaky hands, Jushiro wiped his hand over his eyes. "I gave the order to kill my own lieutenant." Both were silent; Hinako feeling as if her heart would break; Jushiro feeling as if that night would never leave him. "Rukia killed him, killing the hollow along with Kaien." Anguished eyes met Hinako's tear filled ones. "Do you see? Do you see why I can't allow you to come when we meet the hollow?"

Standing up, Hinako went to Jushiro. "But, this time, it's a different type of hollow. And Renji and Rukia will be there, so you won't have to worry about me." Hinako stroked his cheek, trying to reassure Jushiro but the anger in his eyes, made her snatch her hand away.

"Won't have to worry about you?" His laugh was harsh. "You don't get it, do you? If you're there, I don't have a choice but to worry about you!" His voice got louder as he continued. "You aren't going and that's that!"

"So, to you, I'm just some stupid woman who doesn't know enough to get out of the way of the big, bad Captain while he battles a hollow?" Hinako waved her arms wildly about her head.

Shunsui Kyouraku could hear the raised voices halfway across the bridge to Jushiro's house. Kiyone had come running into his house, yelling something about Captain Ukitake bringing a human woman into Soul Society and would he please go and help her Captain? She felt he was in danger from this woman. Shunsui raised his eyebrows at that statement, knowing Jushiro could hold his own in a fight with a hollow, let alone a human woman but Kiyone's urgent tone tweaked his interest. Quickly making his way to Jushiro's house, Shunsui wondered just what the hell was going on here. As he crossed the bridge, Jushiro's voice reached his ears.

"That's not what I said! Don't twist my words, Hinako!"

"Then what are you trying to say? Huh, Jushiro? Tell me! Tell me why I can't go with you!"

Unashamed of himself, Shunsui had his ear pressed up against the door, listening to the two of them argue.

"Because I don't want you there! I want you safe, in your apartment, with Satomi and Uryuu there!" Jushiro had taken two long steps, closing the distance between he and Hinako. Gods! She was making him so angry! Why couldn't she just accept his decision and let it go at that?

Hands fisted in her blonde hair, twisting and pulling. "You make me so angry, I want to scream!" The man listening at the door smiled at this. Hinako was screaming loud enough, most of Soul Society could probably hear her. "What's so safe about my apartment? What if the damn thing comes there? Huh? You ever think about that? Mister Captain!" Poking Jushiro in the chest, Hinako let out her breath out in a huff and went on. "So, where am I supposed to go then?" She yelled out the question.

"It's not your place to plan this battle, Hinako! I'm the Captain, I plan the battle and I expect you to follow my orders!" Large hands gripped her shoulders, shaking her a bit. "Is that clear?"

"No!" She slapped his hands away. "I'm not taking orders from you! I'm not one of your soldiers or shinigamis or whatever the hell you call them!" Grinning, Shunsui wished like hell he could see the expression on his best friend's face. "Whatcha gonna do if I come along anyway? Throw me over your shoulder again?" Quickly covering his mouth, not letting the laugh come out, Shunsui pictured Jushiro tossing this Hinako over his shoulder. He hadn't even met this woman yet but he liked her!

"Don't smirk at me like that, Hinako!"

"Why the hell are you so dead set against me coming along?"

"Because, I love you, damn it!" Jushiro yelled out that declaration. Dropping his voice a bit, he continued. "If anything happened to you, I would die! I just found you after all these years," he placed his hand over her heart, feeling it race underneath his palm, "and if I could never lay beside you again, listening to your heartbeat, it would be the end of me."

Shunsui's eyes widened as he heard what Jushiro had yelled. A slow grin crossed his face. So, his best friend had finally found love. About time, too. Pressing his ear against the door, Shunsui could hear nothing from inside the little house. As quiet as possible, he slid open the door and peeked through the crack. There, in Jushiro's arms, with her legs wrapped around his waist, kissing him passionately, was Hinako. Closing the door, Shunsui walked back to the bridge and spied Sentaro and Kiyone waiting for him.

"You two can go back to squad 13 headquarters. I don't think you'll be needed for the rest of the night." He winked at the both of them before passing them, humming as he walked back home.

Sentaro looked at Kiyone. She looked stun and hurt. With a huge sigh, he started walking back to headquarters, turning once to make sure she was coming. "You know, he's not the only man in Soul Society." With a blank look on her face, Kiyone met his eyes. Was it her imagination or did Sentaro just wink at her? Blushing, she trotted up to walk beside him.

As soon as Hinako had thrown her arms around his neck, Jushiro scooped her up in his arms and her legs wrapped around his waist. Their mouths crashed together and Hinako's hands threaded through his long white hair, bringing his mouth closer. Little moans of pleasure escaped from her as Jushiro washed the inside of her mouth with his tongue. The next thing she knew, Jushiro had her up against the wall. Gently thrusting his tongue in and out of her mouth, Hinako felt the evidence of his arousal at her core, long and hard. His hips moved in time with his tongue, making her wet and her body shake with desire.

"Tell me again." She breathed the words against his mouth. "Tell my you love me, again." Heart racing, her breath coming in pants, Hinako begged to hear those words again.

"I love you." A hard, quick kiss against her mouth. "I love you." Gentle kisses on her closed eyelids. "I love you." Warm lips across her forehead. "I love you." Nips and licks against her mouth, begging her to accept his kiss. "When you chased my hell butterfly around my body, I knew I felt something for you. But, when your hand landed on my chest, I was lost." Long, slow and deep; Jushiro's kisses were driving Hinako crazy.

"When you were gone for that week, I thought I would go crazy with worry. What if you didn't come back? What if you found someone else? What if you decided that I wasn't worth all this hassle with that damn hollow?" Pulling him to her, Hinako kissed Jushiro, her tongue slipping past his lips to mate with his. A keening sound, one of pure need, pushed itself from Hinako's throat and into Jushiro's mouth and he responded with a moan and a shudder.

"When you came back, I knew I was in love with you but I still denied my feelings. It wasn't until the next day, when we went shopping that I knew for certain that I loved you." Letting her head fall back against the wall, Hinako took a shaky breath as Jushiro latched onto her neck, sucking and licking a particularly sensitive spot. Oh, gods, please, Hinako begged in her mind, never let this stop. Toes curling, she grabbed the fabric of his haori and wiggled against Jushiro as a shot of desire coursed through her body and ended up right at her core.

"Take me to your bed." Whispered words that echoed in the quiet room. Copper eyes met blue ones, asking without words, if she meant what she said. Nodding yes, answering those beautiful eyes. Hugging her even closer, Jushiro carried Hinako into his bedroom, her legs still wrapped around his slim waist, closing the door behind them. Soft kisses on her lips, as soft as petals on a newly opened flower.

Landing on shaky legs, Hinako let her hands travel over Jushiro's chest and shoulders, removing his haori and laying it across a chair in the corner of the room. It had been a long time since she'd been with a man and never with a man that she loved as much as she loved Jushiro. He was a warrior, a strong proud man, a man she could count on and a man who loved her back. With hungry eyes, Hinako watched as Jushiro took off his hakama and performed the intricate folds. Standing before her, in just his two kimonos, Jushiro motioned her closer, hooking his index finger at her, smiling a sensual smile.

One button, a second button, and then a third, Jushiro's long fingers made quick work with the buttons on Hinako's baby blue striped shirt. Looking down, she grimaced as she saw one of her plain blue bras come into view. She probably had on granny panties, too. Looking up again, she met his eyes and smiled a tremulous smile.

"What's wrong?" His hands stilled on her waist.

"I…I just wish…" Hinako sighed. It really was a stupid thing to be concerned about. Worry was evident in Jushiro's eyes. "I just wish I had prettier underthings on. It's stupid, I know…" She never got to finish her thought as Jushiro kissed her, his hands continuing to unbutton the rest of the buttons, shoving her shirt off of her shoulders and down her arms, tossing the shirt onto the same chair she'd placed his haori. Moving his hands around to her back, Jushiro fiddled with her bra.

"What the..?" His head came over her shoulder, looking down her back. "How in the world does this work?" Giggling, Hinako undid her bra. "Oh, I see." Arms crossed over her breasts, Hinako blushed as Jushiro nuzzled her neck. "Next time, I'll know." Backing her up, Hinako felt her knees hit the bed and after Jushiro pulled back the covers, she scooted onto the bed, laying her head on one of the fluffy white pillows. That smile. That sweet smile on his face, wiped away all the worries Hinako had.

"You could wear an orange bra, the color of Ichigo's messy hair, and I still would think you were the most beautiful woman in Soul Society or in the living world." Laying beside her, hooking one finger under a strap, he tugged down the first strap, freeing her left arm, letting his lips drift over her sensitive arms and hands. Kissing his way across her collarbone to the other strap, Jushiro stopped and nuzzled Hinako's neck, making her giggle. A flick of his tongue on her earlobe turned the giggle into a long, drawn out sigh. The other strap slid down her arms and her breasts lay bare before him.

"You're beautiful." Kisses, as light as butterfly wings, fell on her breasts. She could feel his hot breath as he kissed his way to one rosy nipple. Hands clenching his white hair, breathy moans passing across plump lips, Hinako was falling, falling and then, Jushiro caught her, his mouth surrounding and finally, engulfing the turgid bud. A flick of his tongue, teeth lightly scraping the bud and Hinako was writhing on the bed, her legs rubbing together restlessly, her body crying out for more. Heat shot right to her core, making her panties even wetter.

"Your kimono…" Hinako's hands moved under the fabric, pushing it off of Jushiro's shoulders. "Take it off." Short nails bit into Jushiro's shoulders as he suckled her other nipple. "Please…oh, please! Take them off. I want to feel your skin against me." Shoving her hands between their bodies, Hinako fussed with the ties, trying to undo the intricate knots.

Letting go of the rosy bud, Jushiro pushed himself up off the bed, Hinako following him. He was aroused, to the point in which he looked like he must be in pain. Undoing the knots, Jushiro went to take off the kimonos but Hinako's hands were faster. She soon had them on the chair with his haori and then, with soft touches, ran her hands over his back, tracing the scars. A particularly long scar ran down from his left shoulder to almost the middle of his back. Watching as Jushiro shivered under her touch, Hinako kissed the scar.

"Where did you get this?" A flick of a tongue. "Does it still pain you?" Her lush lips trailed downward, leaving wet trails in their wake.

"My first battle." He ground out the answer between clenched teeth. "I learned never to turn my back on an enemy." Eyes closed, nostrils flared, Jushiro sensed her walking around to his front, delicate fingers whispering over his hot body. Another scar, another hot, open mouth kiss on his body. With hands by his side, he clenched his hands into fists, determined not to grab Hinako and crush her to him, stopping this delicious torment. Trailing her hands lower, Hinako's hands drew sensual pictures on his stomach before going lower. If she moved any lower…

All coherent thoughts flew from his mind as her hand surrounded his erection and she slowly stroked him, her thumb circling the tip, smearing the pearly drops into one. His hips moved of their own accord, pushing himself into her hand, aching for more of her touch. Gasping as he felt Hinako squeeze and stroke him faster, Jushiro's hands flew to cover hers.

"If you keep that up, I won't last much longer." His eyes were dark with passion and he leaned down, kissing her roughly, slightly bruising her lips. Hinako didn't mind, though. She was as turned on as he was. Hinako began to unbutton her jeans, when Jushiro's hands shoved hers away. As he unzipped the jeans, a wild thought ran through her mind. Oh, so she didn't have on granny panties on, after all. The tiny panties were wet with the evidence of her longing and soon, both garments were off, thrown into the corner, landing near the chair.

Picking Hinako up and all but tossing her on the bed, Jushiro's big body moved slowly over hers, kissing his way down until he was between her legs, his mouth licking and sucking at the inside of her thighs. Oh gods, he wouldn't…would he? Her hand came up, pushing Jushiro away.

"Shiro…I've…uh, never done this before." Trying to close her legs, Hinako found it almost impossible because one long finger was tracing patterns on the inside of her thighs, getting closer to her center.

"You mean, made love?" Hinako shook her head, a blush moving across her cheeks.

"I've had sex, yes. But, I've never had this done to me." Whispered words in the dim room. Words full of shyness, with an undertone of longing.

"Then," A flick of his tongue on her clit. A long shuddering, breathy moan filled the room. "I'll have to make up for all that lost time." A long lick upwards and Hinako was laying back on the bed, her legs falling open of their own accord, her hands gripping the sheets. Several quick flicks, followed by long, slow licks. The difference between those two sensations made Hinako's breathing hitch. Wicked…deliciously wicked. His tongue drove her wild and she pressed her hips up, aching for more. One long finger entered her heat and Hinako let out a long moan.

Feasting on her feminine flesh, Jushiro fought the urge to move over Hinako and thrust into her, over and over, until she screamed out his name as she found her release. He wanted…no…needed to give her this pleasure. Another finger and soon, she was moving her hips in time with his thrusting fingers. Curling his fingers upward, his mouth still pleasuring her, he found just the right spot. Walls fluttering around his fingers, liquid collecting on his tongue, Jushiro sped up his gentle assault.

"Oh…S…Shiro!" A tightening at the base of her spine told Hinako she was close…oh, so close. Those fingers withdrew, only to come back inside of her, harder and faster, pressing just the right spot over and over. Replacing his tongue with his thumb, Jushiro circled her clit, pressing in tight little circles. That new sensation sent Hinako over the edge and her back arched, her legs tightened around Jushiro's shoulders as she rode out the waves of pleasure that were coursing through her veins.

As she tried to catch her breath, Hinako felt Jushiro enter her with one long stroke and her legs came up, wrapping themselves around his slim hips and she kissed him, tasting herself on his tongue. It wasn't a bad taste…just different. Lips slid wetly over each other and their tongues fought for dominance, Jushiro's wicked tongue winning. Her hands roamed over his broad back.

Withdrawing from her body, just the tip of his erection in Hinako, Jushiro smiled as he felt Hinako's hips try to follow his. Slowly, he pushed back in, rewarded with hands on his shoulders, her short nails digging into his skin. Hissing in pleasure, he repeated the action, burying his face in her neck, drinking in the heady scent that was purely Hinako. Wanting this to last forever, but with his body begging for release, Jushiro began to move.

The room filled with the sounds of moans and names called in breathy gasps. As Jushiro moved over Hinako, incoherent sounds reached his ears. She couldn't even speak properly anymore. "Oh, Shiro…" His name came out of her mouth, almost like a caress. "Yes, gods, yes."

Hitching one of her legs up higher around his waist and moving deeper inside her, Jushiro could feel her wet walls fluttering around him and his pace quickened. Grinding his hips in little circles, Jushiro covered Hinako's mouth with his own and swallowed her cries of pleasure. She was so close! One deep thrust and she was over the edge, bright white spots in front of her closed eyes, hips thrusting upwards and legs shaking. Suddenly, Jushiro stiffened and Hinako felt his seed fill her.

Not speaking, Hinako brushed back the sweaty hair from Jushiro's forehead and ran her hands soothingly over his back, waiting for her heartbeat to slow down. Feeling Jushiro's heartbeat against her chest was a warm, comforting feeling. Little kisses against the pulse point on her neck. Hot breath against her warm skin. Legs relaxing. Aftershocks from her orgasm still gripped at Jushiro, who was still inside her but now was propped up on his elbows, keeping most of his weight off of Hinako.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Rolling off of Hinako and reaching down, pulled up the covers, landing on his back next to Hinako. Snuggling up next to him, fingers tracing lazy circles over his heart, she smiled against his skin. If someone would have told her that she would meet a shinigami, fall in love, get dragged to Soul Society and end up making love to him, she would have popped that person on the head and called them crazy. But…here she was…next to the man she loved.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you." Jushiro looked down at Hinako. "The hell butterfly…the one with the pink stripes on the wings?" Hinako nodded. "It's yours." Her smile grew.

"Really? You mean that?" Jushiro nodded and kissed her forehead. "I have just the perfect name for it!" Frowning for a second, Hinako met Jushiro's eyes. "It is a girl, right?" A chuckle rumbled in Jushiro's chest. He had no idea the sex of the hell butterfly but if it made Hinako happy to think it was a girl, then he would tell her it was a girl.

"Sweetheart, no one names their butterflies."

"Why not?"

"I don't know for sure. It's been like that for as long as I can remember."

"Hmph! Well, I don't care!" Propping herself up on her elbow, hair falling around her head and shoulders, Hinako mock glared at Jushiro. "I'm naming it after Satomi's favorite toy as a kid." Hinako paused, waiting for Jushiro's curiosity to build. When he raised one eyebrow, Hinako could hold back no more. "Pinkie Pie!"

"Pinkie Pie? You're naming the butterfly, Pinkie Pie?" Jushiro just stared at Hinako. "Where in the hell did you come up with that name?"

"It's the name of Satomi's favorite My Little Pony. Satomi dragged that little pony around by the hair wherever she went." At Jushiro's horrified look, Hinako quickly explained just what the little toys were. Hinako giggled at the look of relief on his face. Laying her head back down on his chest, her ears picked up the sound of his heartbeat.

"This is what first drew me to you…your heartbeat." Arms tightened around her. "I could just stay here forever, my head on your chest, your heartbeat in my ear." A soft snore drowned out the sound for just a second. Great! Pour your heart out to him, Hinako, and the guy falls asleep on you! Letting her eyes drift shut, a little smile on her face, Hinako snuggled up against Jushiro, his heartbeat lulling her to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of the characters from the manga or anime. That honor belongs to Tite Kubo. The characters of Hinako and Satomi are my creations. **

It was the smell of tea that woke Hinako. That sweet, kind of spicy scent drifted slowly across her nose, making her smile and debate about opening her eyes. Jushiro was awake as his side of the bed was cold, telling Hinako that he had left it some time ago. The sound of pots and pans clinking together came in through the closed bedroom door. Hinako smelt rice cooking and her stomach growled. Smiling, she thought how wonderful it was to be lazy and lay in bed, just waiting for your lover to come in and bring you…Hinako jumped out of bed, throwing on her underwear and shirt from yesterday.

Well, that answered one of her many questions about spirit beings. They still had to pee like normal people. Sliding open the door near the head of the bed, Hinako prayed that was the bathroom. Nope, closet. A closet full of green yukatas. Yucky, pale green yukatas that made Jushiro even more pale than he normally looked. Hinako looked at each yukata, her face wrinkling into a frown. They were all the same green color! Oh, this was awful! These were the wrong colors for Jushiro to wear.

"Hinako?" Sliding the door open, Jushiro poked his head through, holding a tray in one hand, full of wonderful smelling covered plates. "Are you…Oh, there you are?" He slid the door all the way open and came in the room. "What are doing in my closet?" No anger laced his voice, just laughter.

"Well, I was trying to find the bathroom but all these doors look alike and I got lost! Jushiro, we need to go shopping for clothes." Hinako, forgetting all about having to go to the bathroom, pulled a faded yukata out from the closet. "Theses colors are awful for you! With your white hair and pale complexion, they make you even more pale and sickly looking. You need colors like navy blue or maroon. Oh! A nice eggplant!"

Setting the tray down on the bed, Jushiro chuffed. "Eggplant is a food, not a color." Standing up, Jushiro crossed his arms over his chest, one eyebrow raised in mock battle. "I refuse to believe that there is such a color as eggplant." Jushiro sat down on his side of the bed. "If you still need to go to the bathroom, it's right there." Pointing at the foot of the bed, there was another sliding door. Hinako stuffed the faded green yukata back into the closet, slammed the door and with a giggle, headed into the bathroom.

It was huge and Hinako gasped as she took in the bathroom. The walls were tiled in a pale peach color, the huge tub was a sea foam green, a perfect accent color to the peach tiles. Double sinks stood next to the toilet stall, the counter tops in the same green as the tub, with the sink basins the peach color of the walls. It was absolutely beautiful. There was one surprise after another in this small house!

As Hinako took care of her aching bladder, she wondered why there were double sinks in a house where only one person lived. Her heart sank a bit as she wondered if Jushiro had them built for woman he was previously involved with. After last night, there was no doubt that Jushiro had a previous lover. Blushing as her mind went back to some of the things they did, Hinako scratched her knee and was shocked as blood pooled under her finger nails. What the hell? Her knees were rubbed raw!

Finishing up, Hinako flushed and looked for washcloths to take care of her knees. What the hell did they do….Oh, the deck. Yep, that was it! In the early hours of the morning, Hinako had woken up, Jushiro hugging her tightly. So tightly, in fact, she could barely breathe. Wiggling herself out from under him, Hinako went outside for some air, putting on one of his captain's haoris. The trees were moving in a soft breeze that sent velvety sakura petals under her nose and she took deep breaths, letting their sweet fragrance wrap around her. A brilliant moon hung low in the sky, it's reflection shining off the lake that surrounded Jushiro's house. It was so different from her hometown and Hinako really thought that she could stay here, by Jushiro's side forever. Sitting down, Hinako let her toes dip into the warm lake water. Perhaps this place was really like a fairy tale, where the sun always shone, the water was always warm and the people were nice.

"Couldn't sleep?" Clad only in a robe, Jushiro sat down next to her, his feet disappearing under the water. Hinako shook her head and lay her head on his shoulder. Wrapping his arms around Hinako's waist, Jushiro pulled her closer to him. Night birds were hunting over the lake, their black shadow clad bodies dipping in the water, coming up with a fish if they were lucky. The unlucky ones tried over and over until they too, would fly back up into the trees with their prizes.

"Do you want me to take you back tomorrow?" Please say no, Jushiro begged Hinako in his mind. Say you want to stay with me forever and never leave me. Say you want to marry me and build a family. Say you want to be with me when I pass and you'll never love another. Tell me my name will be the last thing to pass your lips as you leave this body and join me in eternity.

"I'm so glad you asked! Yes, will you take me back?" Hinako turned to look at Jushiro and was shocked to see how white he went. He wasn't expecting that and Hinako's answer hit him like a physical blow. His eyes were haunted and he covered his mouth with one hand. Coughing slightly, at first Jushiro seemed to not be able to catch his breath. As he struggle to breathe, Hinako was at a loss for what to do. Scrambling to her knees, she started to hit him on his back, hoping to dislodge whatever was caught in his throat.

"Jushiro!" Finally, he took a deep breath and coughed. Carmine red blood spilled over his hands, dripping down onto the deck. "Oh my Gods! A towel, I need a towel!" Lurching to her feet, Hinako, in her haste to get Jushiro a towel, grabbed his hands, his blood staining her hands. Hinako didn't notice the blood as she raced through the house, the words, 'a towel' flying from her mouth, a mantra, begging Jushiro to be ok until she came back.

"Where the hell is the bathroom? Oh, screw the bathroom!" Grabbing his blood stained haori from the couch that he had last worn when Kaien was killed, Hinako ran into the kitchen, pulling a glass from the shelf and filling it from the sink. Her hands trembled as the glass filled and tears dripped from her eyes. "Don't let him die, don't let him die, DON'T LET HIM DIE!!"

Glass filled, Hinako tore through the house and practically flew outside again. Dropping to her knees, the blood from Jushiro's body wetting them, Hinako used his haori to wipe his mouth and brought the glass to his lips. "Please be ok, please be ok, please be ok, please be ok, please be ok." Hinako was sobbing by the time Jushiro had drained the glass, his breath coming back to him.

"Rukia never told you?" Jushiro's voice was strained as he fought to catch his breath.

"Told me what?" Gentle fingers wiped away more blood from Jushiro's face.

"I'm ill, Hinako. I have a lung ailment, similar to what you call tuberculosis." Hinako stopped wiping the blood from Jushiro's face and her hands went limp and landed softly in her lap. "You can't catch it because it can only be passed from spirit being to another. Ones who were born spirit beings, not like you, who was transformed into a spirit being by going through the gate. Eventually, my body will be consumed by this illness and I'll die." Hinako threw herself at Jushiro, her arms going around his shoulders and her head in the crook of his neck, sobbing as if her heart was breaking. Somehow, he managed to turn his body around in a more comfortable position and cradle Hinako while she cried.

"How long?" The words came out muffled against his robe. He didn't have to ask what she meant, he know her question was how long until he dies.

"Years, maybe a thousand or more." Those words pierced Hinako's ears. Years? A thousand or more? Was he trying to comfort her by joking about how much time he had left? Cause if he was, it wasn't helping.

"How old are you, really?" Pulling back from Jushiro's chest, Hinako wiped her eyes from behind her glasses.

"Two thousand years old. I'll be two thousand and one on my next birthday." He grinned proudly at her, like a little boy. Suddenly, the moonlight was playing tricks on her. The white hair was gone and in it's place, black hair. The lines from around his eyes vanished as did the black circles from under his eyes he sometimes had from lack of sleep. He looked like a young man again, how he should look if it weren't for this illness, how perhaps their son would look. He wasn't teasing her on his age for Rukia told her that the Captain of squad 1 was over three thousand years old.

"I'm 39. Does that make a difference to you?" Hinako stared into those copper colored eyes she loved so much. "In my world, I'm old, almost too old to be a mother. You might want to find someone else to be the mother of your children. I'm too…" Hinako didn't finish as Jushiro's mouth came crashing down on hers. Passion rose sharp and hot within her again. She moaned into Jushiro's mouth and he swallowed the sound. His hand snaked under the haori Hinako wore, caressing over her skin, trailing his hand over her bottom, grasping her body to his.

Clutching, grasping, tearing, Hinako's hands worked at the tie of the robe Jushiro wore, her hands shaking in her haste to get him naked. She was on her knees, straddling Jushiro, his erection rubbing against her bare skin. No playful tone to this lovemaking. It was consuming, a reaffirmation of life, of Jushiro's life. Whispered words of love, whispering their vows of love and commitment to each other as the cool night breezes skimmed over their heated bodies.

Hinako whispered she loved him and she would never leave him. Jushiro, laying back on the hard deck, held onto Hinako's hips as her body hovered over his larger one. Telling her he loved her and wanted to see her belly swell with his son or daughter, he kissed her. Small hands on Jushiro's shoulder, they gripped hard as Hinako lowered herself onto Jushiro's arousal, her body stretching again to accommodate him.

"Marry me?" The words were moaned out as the moon watched the lovers move with each other. A whispered yes ran across the lake before disappearing into the grove of sakura trees. They started to move, Hinako's knees scraping across the rough deck, but she didn't care. Jushiro's haori was slipping off her shoulders, pooling around her thighs and Jushiro's large hands cupping her bottom. Faster and faster they moved, Hinako's cries of pleasure streaking across the lake, the night owls picking up their heads, looking for the source of the sound.

Canting his hips up, Jushiro buried himself deeply in Hinako's body as his release took over. White hot lights behind his eyes, ripples of pleasure running over his skin, shards of electricity scurrying up and down his spine, Jushiro gasped as he emptied himself into Hinako. Barely able to think, by instinct alone, Jushiro let his hand brush against Hinako's center, finding that one spot that made her back arch and her legs tighten around his hips. As she moved up and down his shaft, Jushiro's fingers never left her body and soon, she was falling over the edge with him. His name a moan on her lips, Hinako arched her head back, her long ash blonde hair trailing over Jushiro's thighs, the moonlight shining on her body.

Collapsing on his chest, Jushiro pushed back her wet hair from her face and kissed her. Once again, he asked her that one question.

"Marry me?"

"Yes." Came the breathless answer.

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They both came through the double doors from Soul Society, exiting next to Urahara's shop. Pinkie Pie and Jushiro's butterfly flit around their heads as the couple held hands, still in shinigami form as they made their way to Hinako's apartment. Hinako had asked Jushiro to teach her how to go through the gate and she wanted to get some of her things. They were almost there when Hinako, reaching out and searching for Satomi's spirit ribbon, gasped and blushed. Uryuu's dark blue ribbon was intertwined with Satomi's lighter colored blue ribbon. That meant only one thing, they were making love.

Jushiro grinned as only a man who was sated from making love to the woman he loved, could. Holding out his index finger, Jushiro's butterfly landed on his finger and he whispered his instructions to it and sent both butterflies away. The back gate was locked but Hinako still had her keys and soon, they were in the backyard. It was only a little past dawn and not too chilly so Jushiro dragged out the chaise lounge and he and Hinako were soon curled up together, waiting for Jushiro's hell butterfly to come back with the all clear.

"I can't believe you asked me to marry you so soon. We've only known each other for less than a month." Playing with Jushiro's sleeve, Hinako tried to hid the nervousness in her voice. She was terrified that Jushiro would rethink asking her to marry him and this happiness would just fly away.

"I would have asked you the day I came back from Soul Society after I'd been gone for a week but it was too soon. You would have rejected me."

"When did you know you loved me?" In the early dawn, Jushiro couldn't see Hinako's face clearly but he could hear the grin on her face as she asked that question.

"It was when you stuck your tongue out at me, the first time I saw you. Or maybe it was when we slept together, that night I came back from Soul Society and the next morning, you rolled out of bed when you realized I was there next to you." Hinako poked him in the ribs, giggling when a soft "oomph" almost parted her hair. "Ok, ok. You caught me." Looking up, Hinako lost the grin when she saw the expression on Jushiro's face. Cradling her chin, he brought her face up, his lips drifting over hers softly, his tongue parting her lips as their tongues danced in each others mouths.

"It was when you were trying to catch that damn butterfly and your hand landed on my chest. You were circling me, talking to Satomi like I wasn't even there and when you touched me, I swear, I felt like your hand burned itself into my body. Electricity shot outwards from where you hand touched me and up my chest and down my arms. It was like my entire body was on fire and I wanted to pull you to me and kiss you until you couldn't breathe anymore."

"Hmm, if I remember correctly, you did kiss me until I couldn't breathe anymore. You scooped me up and held me off the ground while your tongue did wicked things to my mouth." Hinako turned around and straddled Jushiro's lap. "You dipped down to kiss me like this," Hinako kissed Jushiro fleetingly on the mouth and backed away. "Then your arms surrounded me, like this." Hinako threw her arms around Jushiro. "Then you leaned down," Leaning down to Jushiro, Hinako had just put her lips on his, when a loud metallic scraping tore through the morning. Panicking, thinking it was a hollow, Jushiro tried to jump off the lounge chair, to push Hinako behind him. Only it was the lounge chair making that noise.

The chair was a hand me down from Hinako and Satomi's parents and it was in poor shape. Hinako only had time to gasp before she and Jushiro were on the ground, the chair collapsed under their combined weight. Jushiro looked thin but he was muscular and tall, almost 6' 2", although he only weighed about 160. Hinako, Jushiro under her and his face squished into her breasts, was laughing and she could feel Jushiro's rumbling laughter deep in his chest.

The back door flew open and there was Uryuu Ishida, his Quincy bow drawn and a spirit arrow aimed at Hinako's forehead. Deep blue eyes shone from behind his glasses and his stance was rigid. However, he was only wearing black boxer shorts and it was obvious that he had thrown them on, as they were on backwards. Jushiro turned his head, trying to cover his laughter with a cough but Hinako wasn't so successful. Uryuu blushed and put his bow down while Satomi ran out of the house, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts.

"Hinako! What the hell? Why didn't you come inside?" Smoothing a hand over her hair, Satomi tried to frown at her older sister as Hinako crawled off of Jushiro. Hinako walked over to Satomi, whispering in her ear.

"You're spirit ribbons were intertwined." Satomi blushed. "We were just sitting here in the back yard, behaving ourself, when the damn chaise lounge collapsed. Otherwise, you'd have never known we were here." Hinako walked past Satomi. "I just came here to get a few things and then I'm going back to Soul Society with Jushiro."

"Oh good! I mean, oh good for you!" Following Hinako in the house, Satomi sat down in the kitchen. "You know what I mean."

Hinako nodded. "Yep, you want to be alone with Uryuu!" She grinned as a pretty blush raced across Satomi's face. "And that's just fine with me, because I'd like to be alone with Jushiro." Hinako went and rummaged through the bathroom, grabbing her toothbrush, toothpaste and favorite shampoo. Jushiro said she didn't need any clothes from here as he had a few surprises for her back home. Practically skipping back into the kitchen, Hinako tossed the bath things on the table and searched for a bag to put them in. Only Hinako's back end could be seen out of the closet in the kitchen and her voice was muffled.

"Jushiro asked me to marry him." All Satomi heard was, Jushiro…me…him.

"What? Wait until you're out of the closet to talk. You know I can't hear you when you're stuffed in there."

Hair hanging over her face, Hinako pushed it back as she stood up. "Jushiro asked me to marry him!" A huge smile creased Hinako's face and her hands had a bag clamped between them as she crushed it to her chest. Both women were silent for a second and then all hell broke loose. Loud squeals of happiness could be heard several blocks away as Hinako and Satomi clutched at each other and danced in circles in the kitchen.

Uryuu looked at Jushiro, a question in his eyes. "Hinako must have told Satomi I've asked Hinako to marry me." Uryuu gave Jushiro a lopsided grin, held out his hand for Jushiro to shake and Jushiro took it.

"You sure about this?" Uryuu nodded in the direction of the house. "Hinako's the strangest woman I've ever met. She's clumsy, talks a lot and…"

Looking in the direction of the voices, Jushiro smiled. "…and she's perfect."

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Walking back through the double doors that led them to Soul Society, Jushiro and Hinako followed their hell butterflies as they led the way home.

Home.

It had only been one day since she was taken here, held in Jushiro's arms, mad as hell at him for dragging her against her will. Yet, she was starting to think of Jushiro's little house as their home. One hand covered her belly, thinking of what Jushiro told her last night. How he wanted to be a father, to see her belly swell with their child, to hold her while she brought their son or daughter into the world.

Hinako had always wanted to be a mother, to raise a child in a loving environment, one where you were loved no matter how many stupid mistakes you made. Instead of being like her mother, who told Hinako to be strong and stop crying, Hinako would be the mother who hugged their child and told them that everything would be ok. One that would cheer the child on when they didn't feel like they could make it, one that would sing them to sleep every night and hug them and tuck them in. Maybe, just maybe, she was already pregnant. She didn't know how it happened with two spirit beings but there was one thing she was sure of, they didn't use any protection and Hinako knew it was around the time when she ovulated.

"I knew it. It was only a matter of time before he showed up." Grinning broadly, Jushiro looked across the lake at the doorway of his house. A huge man, wearing a gaudy pink haori, with flowers all over it, was pacing in front of the door. A pointed, wide brimmed straw hat was pushed back on his head and a long brown ponytail hung halfway down his back. He seemed to be arguing with a small woman, who wore her hair up and had glasses on. Suddenly, a huge book hit the man on the head and he cowered before the woman. Hinako didn't know what to make of them.

A cry of happiness came rolling across the lake. The man was running over the long bridge to Jushiro's house, the shorter woman close behind him, not running but walking quickly. She was clearly admonishing him for something but what?

"Jushiro!" As the man got closer, Hinako could make out more of his features. Kind eyes, a nice smile and….A very hairy chest. Hinako was smothered against a broad, hairy chest. He smelled good, she'd give him that. Like sake and roses. He was hugging her so tightly that Hinako began to black out from lack of oxygen. Thankfully, he loosened his grip but it was only after the woman struck him on the head with the huge book.

"Captain Kyouraku! I must protest! This behavior is unbecoming to a Captain of your status!" The woman, who glared at the man so fiercely, shook her index finger at the captain. "Let her go!"

"No! I want to meet her and talk to her and make sure she's as spunky as she sounded last night!" Captain Shunsui Kyouraku beamed down at Hinako as he let go of her but still held onto her shoulders, pushing her away so he could look at her face.

"Would you care to explain, Shunsui, what you mean by that last sentence you said? About last night?" Head cocked to the side, Jushiro stared at his best friend. How much did Shunsui hear last night?

"She put you in your place, Jushiro! I like her! She's spunky, full of life and says what's on her mind. And she's pretty, too!" Shunsui hugged Hinako to him again. "You'll have the prettiest girls and the handsomest boys!" Shunsui beamed at Jushiro.

"Unless you let me go, we're not having any children!" Hinako yelled into the mat of hair that was tickling her nose.

"Why not?"

"Because, you're going to smother me unless you let me go!" With all her strength, Hinako tried to push Shunsui away but it was impossible. These shinigami men were tall, muscular and strong as bears!

A feminine sigh sounded behind Hinako. Suddenly, there was a feeling of warmth over her back and Shunsui whipped his hands away. "Ow! Nanao! Don't be so rough in front of Hinako." Shunsui dropped his voice to a whisper. "She'll think you're perverted."

"Hinako, may I introduce you to my oldest friend, Captain of squad 8, Shunsui Kyouraku and his lieutenant, Nanao Ise?" Nanao bowed to Hinako but Shunsui tried to kiss the back of Hinako's hand, but Nanao was faster, smacking Shunsui's hand away. Shunsui shrunk away from Nanao, hiding behind Jushiro.

"Lieutenant Ise, would you like to come in for a bit? Have a cup of tea?"

Why, yes. I think I'd like that very much." The two women walked across the bridge, making small talk as the men watched the pretty sway of their hips. The smiles dropped from their faces as the women went into the house and shut the door.

"Any sign of the hollow?" Shunsui pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes, hiding them from sight.

"None in the living world. I left Satomi in the care of Uryuu Ishida, Renji and Rukia. Hinako will be staying here for a bit." The men stood watching Jushiro's little house. "What about Mayuri?"

"He's hiding behind Captain Yamamoto for the moment but sooner or later, he'll make a mistake. Let's just hope it happens before the hollow attacks." Jushiro only nodded at Shunsui's comment. He sighed and pushed the long white bangs back from his face.

A thought in the back of his mind worried at his brain this entire morning. What if Hinako had gotten pregnant from last night? Granted they only made love twice and it was a few weeks before they would know for sure but what if? Would the hollow still have it's target as Satomi? Or would Mayuri turn the hollow to a different target, one who would be married to his greatest enemy? Jushiro feared that the hollow would attack Hinako, who could be carrying his son or daughter.

A slap on his shoulder jolted Jushiro out of his dark thoughts. A tremulous smile at Shunsui and a wave of his hand, both men were soon at Jushiro's house, false smiles plastered on their faces as they tried to forget those dark images that were burned into their minds.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-Author's Note: To all of you who waited so patiently for this chapter, I can only hope I've done it justice. I wrote this in one day, much to my surprise!

I'm leaving Hinako's pregnancy up to you, dear reader. I'm curious to what all of you think about her getting pregnant this quickly. As my hubby put it, Jushiro is 2000 and he ain't getting any younger!


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